Shadow Girl
by Forever Kissing
Summary: Sequel to Shadow Child - Artemis is going through some magical changes, and her parents won't give her any answers. She finds someone who will, but who knew that she was actually running into the arms of the son of Ganondorf? OCxOC DarkxLink implied mpreg
1. Runaway Demon

_I did have a different chapter one up here a few days ago, but took it down to put up this one. I like this better—and it's more styled like the last story. _

_Here's a picture of the kids: http:/ bubbles-on-helium . deviantart . com/#/d32ihr3_

_You'll have to take the spaces out of the link. _

…..

Link was a proud man, and a very skilled swordsman. He was a respected teacher, a loyal companion, and a trustworthy friend. He was getting on in his age compared to most of the knights and swordsman that he spent his time training, but he was still young. He was thirty-four, he was strong, and he was one of the two most attractive men in all of Hyrule. He was tall, well built, had sandy blonde hair, ocean blue eyes that could melt you into the ground, and he was _sensitive_. He would listen to anything you had to say, and instead of calling you various names or forcing his opinions on you, he would express the importance of clearing your head and following your heart. He was employed by Princess Zelda herself—teaching her royal guards how to be the best they could be. He was undoubtedly attractive—and coveted by all of Hyrule's female population.

His only rival in that department was a mysterious man that very few people actually knew on a personal level. He spent all of his time moving through bookstores and gathering information. He was partially admired for his stealth—he could enter a room without a single person noticing—and partly admired for his dark hair. It was very rare to see a Hylian with black hair, like his. In fact, no one he met could remember seeing one at all. Many people mistook him for a demon, until they saw that he had natural blue eyes. His name was Dark, a name that not many people understood. He was tan in a mysterious way—he never seemed to get sun at all—and he was smart. He knew things about magic that some witches didn't know. Some people would argue though that the cutest feature was when he occasionally would wear small reading glasses, obviously forgetting he was out in public, and they would fall down on his nose. He would blush and rip them from his face, stuffing them into his pockets and mumbling about how he didn't need them.

Demons eyes were blood red, or light—almost white—blue. There was no in between. Of course, every citizen of Hyrule knew that you didn't have to worry if the demon had blue eyes—that meant they were safe. Demons like that used magic to help the land, and were usually farmers or monks.

The women of Hyrule, however, were always heartbroken to see that the two men, the most attractive, strong, and romantic men, were both taken. Both of them were in the arms of another, and they would never be available to the women of that strong kingdom. Only a select few people knew the reason for that…

They were both taken by each other. They were two men of one heart, and for the people who knew that, it seemed like it had been an eternity since they first began as teenagers. Yes, an eternity, and an accidental curse.

It all started with a curse, one that Dark Link had never meant to cast as the demon he was. A curse that was so much more than some magic words… It was a baby. A baby that, during an evil crisis, grew to term _inside_ the Hero of Time—the only hero Hyrule could need. That baby became the source of a battle of not only power, but _custody_, until Link finally realized that he wouldn't let anyone take it. The baby was his own.

Desperate for a hero that could fight, and obviously was not pregnant, the six sages transferred their power into new hosts, from all walks of life, and asked the only one with power rivaling Link's to save them. Dark Link. Along the pathway to victory, Dark and Link fell in love, brought together by the baby that was unifying them, along with the evil king Gannondorf.

It was not until the baby was born, and both the Hero of Time and his shadow could fight side by side, that Gannondorf was defeated. Peace was restored to Hyrule for a second time, and the baby, named Artemis, was reunited with her family. Dark, however, was stripped of his powers as a demon and made human—to live free of any magical obligations.

Dark and Link chose to live together after that, and in a swift—though non-legal way—they united their lives into one. It was then made clear that the curse was not lifted off of Link when Dark's power was removed…

So Link sat down while he looked over the empty field. He usually trained the strongest soldiers of the entire nation in this contained land, however today was different. Today he was training one of the most _self exalting _of warriors. Today he trained Seth.

Seth was young and cocky. He was only twelve years old and he must have believed he was the strongest person in Hyrule. He had brilliant blue eyes and shaggy hair that covered his face in spikes. He was tall for his age, strong as well, and accompanied by his faithful sheepdog Apollo.

Apollo could have been a horse—he was so big that the twelve year old could ride on his back with ease.

As the boy approached, Link drew his sword. He saw Seth draw his own, and begin to charge at him. With a flash of silver, the two swords clashed, and they were sparring to the best of their abilities. Link came up to attack in a full frontal manner, but noticed the young boy side step. He was going to parry. Just as the younger blonde rolled to the other side of Link, the hero turned and brought his sword down.

He knocked the sword from Seth's hands, and he kicked the boy off to the side. They met eyes, and it was a race to see who would get to the fallen blade first. It had fallen rather close to Seth, so with a forceful jump he leapt to where it was. He missed, however, and Link scooped it up before he had the opportunity to grab for it.

Link pointed the smaller, training blade down to Seth. A smirk came to his lips and he leaned over. "You lose." He snickered. "Again."

Seth groaned and waited for Link to spin around the training sword so that he could take it back. "You always win."

"You always parry." Link smiled and helped Seth to his feet. "You have to feel the ground under you. Being light on your feet is good, but being _on_ your feet is the key. A parry should only be a defensive maneuver in an emergency. They're really easy to counter."

Seth dusted off his bottom and sheathed the sword. "You're supposed to train me, not lecture me." He looked up at Link. He probably was two full feet taller than him, and that always made Seth feel he had a disadvantage.

Apollo ran over and Link ruffled his shaggy fur. "It _is_ training. You have to understand the skill of the mind before you can master the skill of the blade."

Seth slunk around behind Link while he was talking, and pulled his sword again. Without even drawing his own blade, Link turned and gripped Seth's with his thickly-gloved hand. "You should also work on drawing your sword with less noise." He smiled. He had to admit, he was proud of Seth. For more reasons than one.

The boy rolled his eyes and shrugged. "How should you know? You're like fifty years old."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Fifty? I'm like _thirty_ years old. Don't talk like that—you'll lose your sword training privileges."

"_Papa,_" He whined, but Link shook his head.

"Don't 'Papa' me." Link stopped playing with Apollo long enough to make eye contact with his son. "You've got a lot that's expected of you." He began, "You should train your mind as much as you do your sword."

"Yeah," Seth scoffed, "Then I'd be just like Dad—wasting away in a library while the cool men are out here saving Hyrule."

Link picked up a glass bottle of water and offered it to Seth. "He's not wasting away—he's doing what he's good at. He's studying magic."

"He can't _do_ magic though." Seth muttered, gulping down the water. "No one in our family can. You said we never _could_ do it either. We're just normal people."

Link nodded and once again sat down in the field. "We can't. We're just normal people." He repeated.

Lies. He had built his family on lies. Very few people knew that Link was the Hero of Time—they hardly knew back when he actually _saved_ Hyrule. Of the people who knew? His children did not. They were left out of the loop, and the only times Link would even talk about it was when they were studying it in school.

Link could not believe that school houses were teaching the "legend" of the Hero of Time in classes now. It had only been a few short years since it happened. So every time one of his children came home with a book, reading the recorded lesson on the Hero of Time, Link would groan and exit the room, mumbling that he was _there_ and that book wasn't entirely true.

Seth was the first one to question that further. He heard his papa mumbling and quickly ran over to hear the story for himself. That was rough. Link then had to make up a story on the spot about how once he _met_ the Hero of Time, and traveled with him for a few days.

That wasn't the half of it though. When Artemis was going on five, she asked why, and how, she had a "Daddy and Papa" instead of a "Mommy and Daddy". Dark was about to say something—probably something remotely truthful—but Link jumped in.

"_You're a gift from the goddesses. They told us that they wanted you all to be born, because you were all good people, destined for great things, and so they gave you to us. You're very lucky."_

Link sighed and looked down at Seth, who was playing with the grass and drinking some water. He had never told them the truth. Every time they asked him about their lives, their past, their reason to exist, he just made up another lie. How could he tell them that they were born because of a curse?

There was just no good way to say it. "Oh yeah, well kids, turns out that your Daddy was a demon who cast a curse on me, and when he did I got pregnant. Yeah, I know I'm a man, it was just some sort of messed up situation. I didn't want you either, at first. I didn't want to deal with kids, and you were all just a shock every time. Oh, but don't worry—eventually we warmed up to you."

It was just wrong. He couldn't tell them that—that would be silly. There was no reason to tell them anyway—Dark wasn't a demon anymore and Link was very happy being on the down low about his title. The only problem was Artemis, potentially.

When they stood up to Gannondorf with the sages, Artemis panicked, as a baby, and used up a _lot_ of energy. Since that moment she hadn't shown any other signs of having powers. Zelda couldn't even sense magic in her. So they just assumed it was gone.

Dark didn't though. He spent his whole day reading about magic, spending his life in a book, so that he could find out what happened. He had never heard of someone "using up" their magic. He certainly hadn't ever done it. So he was searching for something—anything to tell him what really happened.

The next time Link came out of his miniature trance he noticed that Seth was running off with Apollo. He shouted, "Where are you going? It's getting close to sundown!"

"I'll be home before it gets dark!" Seth yelled back and he disappeared into the distance. Link looked up at the sky. The market shops would be closing soon, and he needed to get some things from the farmers and butcher.

…

She stood alone in a deserted part of Hyrule field. Her hair was almost waist long and jet black, and it was moving like it was in water, even though it wasn't. With hard focus, the girl stared at a small rock in front of her. With the raise of her arms the rock lifted into the air.

She grinned. Another rock successfully lifted. But with that smile she lost her focus, and the rock simply flew into the wall that surrounded the market town and crashed into pieces. She groaned. Another rock, successfully wasted.

She was about to start again when she saw the form of something in the tree beside her. She looked up, only to see the wide eyes of Seth. He knew he was spotted. He went to hide, but Artemis ran to him, raising her hand.

He yelped, thinking she might try to levitate him like she did the rock, and tumbled out of the tree. When he got over the initial shock of falling, Artemis was on her knees next to him with a gentle grip on his arm.

He was bleeding pretty good and there was a deep cut where the tree had scraped him from the pit of his elbow all the way to just above his wrist.

"Aw, look what you did, stupid!" She whined, looking at his oozing wound. "Now Papa is _bound_ to know I was up to something." She paused, then looked into her younger brother's eyes. "You _have_ to lie for me."

Artemis was sixteen, and four years older than Seth. She was taller than him, although he was catching up, and she was probably just as strong as him too—because their papa had trained her too, for a while.

"What WAS that?" Seth shouted, cradling his arm. "How did you lift that?"

"I-I, uh," She frowned. "I just… Did it?"

Seth shook his head. "You have to tell Dad—he knows a lot about magic." Apollo wandered over and started sniffing at the scrape on Seth.

"Don't tell him." Artemis whispered, "I'll do it."

…..

Dark stopped reading the book in his hands and looked around his home. It was practically dark outside, and no one was home! He thought about that statement. Maybe _someone_ was home. He set the volume down and headed to the stairs. As he made his way up he thought about his life.

He stopped at the second bedroom door and knocked on the frame. "Yes?" Came a soft voice. Dark looked in and smiled. She was leaning against the headboard of her bed, studying a few school books. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders and she looked up at Dark with a smile and bright blue eyes.

"Hey Daddy." She put down her notes and pushed a strand of her hair behind a pointed ear. "Did you need something?"

Dark smiled at her. Of course he had no favorites when it came to his children, but he had to admit, Chloe was the biggest surprise. She was born about two years after Artemis, and she was fourteen. She was the one that no one expected, because everyone thought that when Dark lost his magic, his curse would be broken. Not the case, obviously, because he had three children fifteen years later, instead of just one.

"…Daddy?" Chloe repeated. Dark blinked back to reality.

"How long will you be studying up here? Don't you ever eat?"

"Dinner isn't ready yet, Daddy." Chloe answered, looking back down at her books. Dark raised an eyebrow.

"Just how do you know that?" Dark wondered.

"Papa isn't home." Chloe replied, "He had to get the groceries for supper. Even if he didn't though, you never cook. The last time you cooked you burnt whatever that unfortunate piece of beef was to a crisp, and now we all know that it's Papa's job."

Dark rolled his eyes and made his way to her. He stole the book out of her hands and marked the page by folding the corner. "You know, I am an excellent cook. That was only one time, when I burnt that cow."

"Once it's dead it's not called a cow."

"It's all the same thing." Dark muttered. "It'll be hard for your Papa to serve that dinner without the table being set. Why don't you go do that."

Chloe rolled her eyes. It was obvious to her that Dark was just bored—searching for conversation and probably not finding much. She agreed and started to put away her books.

Dark started down the stairs. But was stopped by the form of Seth running into him at the speed of sound. The ex-demon pushed his son back by his shoulders and frowned. "What's with the hurry?"

"Dad, uh, hi!" Seth shuffled his feet. He looked down at his arm. "Ch-check out this battle scar!" He said, showing the bloody wound to his father.

Dark just stared at it for a minute, before gripping Seth's wrist right below the cut. "What happened?" He gasped, pulling the twelve year old to the kitchen, where they kept all of their bandages. He shoved Seth into a dining chair and dipped a clean rag into some water, to clean the cut with. He waited, a little impatiently, for Seth to come up with an answer.

"There we were—me and Apollo—out in Hyrule Field. We were tired, hungry, and thirsty, and we thought we were going to die out there in the wilderness."

Dark raised an eyebrow. "Was this before or after you had your training?"

"Oh, um, after." Seth looked away and winced while his father began to tightly wrap the bandages on his arm. "That's why we were tired, and hungry, and thirsty."

"You had lunch a few hours ago." Dark muttered, tying it off. "And I doubt you could have escaped your Papa without having at least one bottle of water dumped down your throat. He's always talking about not getting enough water."

"They were monsters!" Seth continued his story, "Big, scary skeletons that walked. They had huge swords and they attacked me and Apollo. So we ran home, after we killed them all."

Dark frowned. He knew his son was lying, that was just matter of fact. What he didn't like was that the 'monster' he made up sounded a lot like one of the Stalfos that used to plague Hyrule. After a few minutes Seth whispered, "I'm okay though, see?"

Dark smiled. He must have looked worried, and while he felt a little guilty that the worry wasn't really for his son, but for the return of the Stalfos, he nodded. "Go wash up."

Dark wasn't entirely sure what rolls he and Link played in raising their children. They knew that Link, of course, was their mother—although he insisted they call him Papa. But as for who really took care of them? They were tied.

Link dropped everything for his kids. Every time one of them was born, Link took off a whole year from his job. He spent his time getting up, changing diapers, warming milk, and cradling babies. He carried extra bottled water on him, and sometimes even bandages. He usually had small doses of red potion in little vials, and he wouldn't let a child leave the house without asking where they were going.

Dark found himself more attracted to the cute part of babies, and not the dirty. He usually spent his time playing with them, and usually was the one who witnessed their first words, steps, or funny moments. He was the _cool_ parent. He was the one who said yes to everything, and the one who was favored. He was also easily distracted by whatever he was reading, and so it was easy to sneak away from him.

Dark would, however, stop whatever he was doing to take care of one of his children if they were hurt. That example was made by the way he had just been talking to Seth. Now he had absolutely no idea what he had originally been planning to do.

But before he had the opportunity to remember, he heard the furious voice of Link screaming from the front door. "SETH! WHAT WERE YOU _THINKING_?" He stumbled into the kitchen with two bags of groceries. He glared at Dark, as if he had done something wrong. "Put those away."

Dark shrugged and began to place the various items where they belonged, and overheard Link shouted.

"Seth! Get down here!" The blonde shouted from the bottom of the stairs. Seth peeked out from his room and slowly came to face Link.

"Yes, Papa?"

"Do you think it's OKAY to tell the people in the market that you were attacked by a _monster_? Most of those people were alive when there really WERE monsters! You're freaking people out!" Link crossed his arms. He stood like that for a few minutes, waiting for a response. Dark watched from the doorway to the kitchen. This would be good—Link and Seth always had the most dramatic fights. One of them usually busted out a weapon. They were probably raising him wrong…

But to everyone's surprise, He didn't say a word about that. He just looked up, genuinely into Link's eyes, and asked "Is Dad a Hylian?"

Dark raised an eyebrow, and Link gasped and spun around to face Dark. "What did you do?"

Dark threw his arms up. "Nothing."

"Papa?" Seth squeaked. Artemis and Chloe both peaked in from the dining room, where they had been setting the table. Dark made the assumption that Missy came in the back door. All three children could tell that this argument was about to get out of hand.

"Why would he ask that?" Link shouted, pointing angrily at their son. Seth stumbled back on the stairs and sat down. "How does he know you're not Hylian?"

Chloe and Artemis both exchanged glances of shock.

Dark's eyes narrowed, and while he wasn't evil or powerful anymore, he knew he had one thing over Link: Dominance. Perhaps he was thinking about their love making, or perhaps he was thinking about their everyday lives, but Dark _was_ the man of the house. He knew that, his children knew that, and Link knew that.

Therefore, it didn't _matter_ if Link could knock him out in two shakes of a lamb's tail—Dark was in charge. _Besides_ Dark thought to himself _I could take him—at least for a few minutes._

"He _didn't_ know! You just blabbed it, _HERO_. Way to go!"

"…What does he mean, 'hero', Papa?" Chloe choked out. She was scared to interfere—she didn't want this anger to be directed at her—but it was all out in the open now anyway…

"Ha," Link raised his chin to Dark in an irritated nod. "You think that's cute, right? Your deep dark secret gets exposed so you DRAG mine out with it, hmm?"

Link was all temper when it came to his children—he would never lay an unloving finger on them. Dark, however, was different, and the blonde was advancing on his mate very quickly.

Dark held his ground. He did, however, toss his glasses onto the bookshelf against the wall, and started to roll his sleeves. In the moment of Link moving away from the stairs, Seth scrambled to get to where his sisters were. Chloe took his hand and Artemis moved them a little behind her, as if they were about to get blasted by a furious attack.

"Drag it out? This is STUPID, Link! I never _wanted_ to lie to them! I wanted them to know the whole time!" Dark growled. "I LIKED calling you HERO."

Link rolled his eyes, those deep, absorbing eyes, and pointed at Dark, jabbing his finger into the taller's chest. "You wanted to _tell them_? You wanted to just spill it out, let the whole world know? NO! The Hero of Time _wasn't_ having a baby because of a blessing from the Goddesses. HE WAS FUCKING CURSED!"

All three children watched in a little bit of horror. What were they talking about? A curse?

Dark intensified his glare and he pointed, accusingly at their children. "Yeah? Well get this, if you hadn't been CURSED, then they wouldn't BE HERE. WE WOULDN'T BE TOGETHER! Where would we be? I'd still be a demon trying to KILL YOU and you'd be OFF MARRYING YOUR PRECIOUS PRINCESS!"

Link threw the first punch, but being the smart man he was, Dark dodged it and pushed Link back. The hero threw his arms in the air in fury. "JUST BECAUSE I WORK FOR THE PRINCESS DOES NOT MEAN I WANT TO GET UP HER SKIRT!" Link rubbed his temples and tried to calm down. "This is STUPID, Dark."

Dark shrugged. "I was enjoying it a little, Hero." He smirked. "Brings back old times."

Link looked over at the trio of their kids, standing together huddled in the corner, totally confused and probably moderately scared.

Link pointed. "Your Daddy was a Demon." As if that could pin the blame for the situation on Dark. The man laughed and pointed back.

"Link was the Hero of Time. Yeah, the one you learned about in lessons."

Seth looked up at Artemis with big eyes. _This _explained her powers… sort of. Artemis met his gaze with equally wide, sort of shocked eyes.

"Don't tell them Seth—no!"

"Artemis can move things with her mind!" Seth shouted, ducking behind Chloe. Artemis groaned and reached for him, but her sister kept her back.

"You can do _what_?" Dark gasped, looking over his family.

Artemis grinned, since her secret was out, and pointed down at Seth. Her eyes turned red and he was surrounded in dark energy before he was pulled to his sister.

"DAD! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" He shouted, and Dark jumped into action once again, putting himself between his oldest and youngest. Chloe ran over to Link and stood behind him, while the Hero himself just gaped.

"Missy, stop it." Dark firmly stated, stepping through the energy linking his children. Instantly it broke, her concentration divided, and Seth fell on his butt.

Artemis looked at the shocked face of her Papa, her scared brother, and her downright confused sister. Then she looked at Dark—probably the only one who could understand her, and she ran out the door, out into the castle town.

Link stared after her. "…We probably should have told them sooner."

Dark snorted. How inappropriate to make a joke. Gods he loved Link.


	2. One down, two to go

Darkness had fallen over the castle town and Artemis still hadn't returned. Link hadn't moved since dinner—He was still sitting in the dining chair and he was staring out the window into the night. He hadn't eaten. He felt like this was entirely his fault. He felt numb. None of his children had ever run away before. What if she didn't come back?

The feeling in his heart—the feeling of not knowing anything, not knowing where she was or how she was doing—was killing him. He was scared to death. What if she got hurt?

He could hear Dark in the sitting room with Chloe and Seth. He was telling them everything. He was telling them about the sages, about Gannon, and about Zelda. He was telling them about the curse, about the fighting, about the kissing. He was doing exactly what they should have done years ago. He was telling the truth.

It must have been clicking into place for them. They were asking a few questions, but mostly they were just coming to an understanding. _That's_ why Missy has clear-blue eyes. That's why everything happened. It was pretty embarrassing for Link too. Most of his children were too old to remember anything about their births. In fact, Artemis couldn't even remember when she was four, and when Seth was born. So they said they were a gift from the goddesses.

Now Dark was telling them that they weren't. They were part of a curse, a curse that allowed the Hero of Time to get pregnant, complain until the baby was a full term, and then endure what he still believed to be the most painful thing since getting electrocuted.

He hoped that Dark wouldn't be too descriptive about it. He stared out the window more, thinking about everything. He was such a bad parent. A bad _mother_. That term made him want to throw up sometimes, being the mother. He was a hero, and trained the knights of Hyrule's finest armies, but he was reduced to a feminine pushover of a man when that term popped into his head. It was an embarrassing title, but Link wouldn't give it up for the world.

So there he was, _not_ participating in the story telling. He was sitting in the kitchen, staring out the window, looking at the empty field, with a hurt in his chest. A familiar hurt.

This was the hurt he felt when he sparred with Seth, and instead of hitting his sword, he accidently nicked the boy's skin. It was the feeling that even though it was hardly bleeding, and Seth said he was fine, that Link should drop everything—all the training—to wrap it up and clean it. It was the feeling of exasperation and fear when he came home to see that Seth had hurt himself yet again.

This hurt was the hurt he felt the first time Chloe came home from lessons two hours early crying. The first time she had her face bruised because some kids were picking on her for being smarter than them, and for enjoying class work. The feeling that came over him when he scooped his little four year old girl up in his arms and carried her back to the school house, sniffling. The feeling when he spoke with the teacher, who could do nothing but apologize. It was the feeling of anger when he noticed the group of boys in the back of the room giggling.

This feeling… it burned his chest. It was like that day when Artemis was only going on four, and Link was still _very_ pregnant with Seth. Those were days when he hid inside his home—hoping to avoid all contact with Hyrule, to hide the fact that he _indeed_ gave birth to his own children. But that day he heard his daughter scream, and faster than he could process that sound he was up, pulling on his shoes and a heavy coat to fight the snow, and running up the path to see what happened.

That day was awful, and even though Link didn't have to save her that day—Dark was already cradling her in his arms when he arrived—that was a heartbreaking moment for the two of them. Artemis broke her wrist that day, and was so scraped up Link almost couldn't see the girl under all the blood. The reasoning behind it was just as heartbreaking though: it was her appearance. Some older kids were calling her a demon, and pushing her around because of her eye and hair color.

That never happened to her again, and Link could only guess that Dark set those kids right. His daughter was _not_ a demon. At least… they hadn't thought so back then.

But the feelings that came with those experiences, they were the exact same one pounding in Link's chest. It was the heartbreaking feeling of knowing your baby was hurting—your whole world was in pain—and there was absolutely nothing you could do about it.

Link jumped a little when he heard the clunk of a glass of hot tea on the table in front of him, and the feeling of Dark's lips on the top of his head. Dark sat down in another chair beside him, and gently pushed the tea towards Link.

"You can't just sit here like this."

Link looked into the false-blue eyes of Dark and shook his head. "She ran away." He whispered, bringing the tea to his lips.

Dark nodded. "She'll come back. She's a smart girl." He watched as Link slowly set the tea down, and stared into the rippling liquid.

"What if she doesn't come back?" Link smiled a little when he felt the next kiss on his cheek. This was what Dark _always_ did when Link was upset. He tried to be gentle and kiss it away. He wouldn't ever kiss Link's lips, though, unless the blonde started it—because that might imply he was doing it in a lusty manner. He was doing it in a _loving_ manner. It was a hilarious load of crap on his part, because since the kids had grown up Dark rarely kissed him unless they were behind closed doors. But this was different, this was a delicate process of making the Hero feel better. But that didn't matter. Link wouldn't be swayed to be happy by kisses, not until Artemis was home and safe in his arms, where she belonged.

"So we'll find her. You're the Hero of Time, and I'm your trusty," Dark smirked, "and sexy sidekick. We'll find her."

Link rolled his eyes. "Being sexy isn't a heroic trait, Dark, and she's our _daughter_. She can be _just_ as sneaky and smart as us, and she has the added benefit of magic."

Dark sighed and hugged the Hero's shoulders. "It's going to be okay."

…..

Artemis sat alone in Hyrule field. She got out of town just before they raised up the drawbridge. This whole thing sucked.

She levitated a pebble into the moat. What was she going to do? She was all alone, at least for the night. Could she go back home? Would her parent's let her back in?

She shivered and her hair whipped around her in the wind. Why had they never told her before? Why had they just said she was a blessing? She folded her arms over her knees and began to cry.

After a few moments, she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She gasped and looked up, half expecting to see her Papa, but was looking into a pair of dark black eyes.

"Who are you?" She whispered, standing up to face him. He was taller than her by a lot, probably taller than her Daddy, and he was _really_ tan. He had shoulder length orangey red hair and he was dressed in all black with a long purple cloak.

"My name is Kale." He nodded to the river. "I'm here because I saw you earlier, moving things." He smiled. "You know, having powers like that are very coveted among magicians."

"Are you a magician?" She whispered, looking him over again. "Or are you a Gerudo?"

"I'm not a Gerudo." Kale answered, moving back his hair to reveal a pointed ear. "I'm _part_ Gerudo, but I was raised Hylian and away from that tribe. Good anyway, because they wouldn't accept me—they only allow the birth of one male every hundred years." He crossed his arms.

It made sense that he wasn't a Gerudo, because he wasn't very well built. He was just lanky, like she was. He held up his index finger and smirked. "I am however," he began, swirling his finger in the air, "a worker of magic."

A light pink, powdery trail came up and around Artemis. In a quiet 'poof' the trail turned into roses, falling to the ground around her. She smiled. "How did… you know how to do that?"

"I can teach you how to use your magic." He began, reaching out to shake her hand. "I can show you all of the things you want to learn. Are you a priestess, a magician?"

Artemis looked down. "I'm just a stupid demon." She muttered. He tilted her chin up to face him.

"Aw, how could you say that? Anyone with eyes so beautiful as yours must be the very best kind of demon. You're powers must be magnificent." Artemis felt a blush come across her face, and was thankful that it was too dark to see. "Now," He continued, "What may I call such a lovely lady?"

"M-my name is Artemis." She smiled.

He took her hand. "I shall call you Arty, then." She melted into his smile. Was it magic he was using to make her feel this way, or just his appearance? She waited for him to speak, but he simply set her down in the grass and sat behind her. He laced his arms around hers and showed her to hold her hands about six inches apart.

"What are we—?"

"Shh." He smiled, "Concentrate here, on this air between your hands. Focus on making that air turn into power."

Artemis had absolutely no idea what this man meant, but she stared hard at her hands. After a few quiet moments a ball of magic formed.

Kale spent the whole night showing her the ways of magic. They slept under a tree for a short while, but it wasn't until morning when some interesting learning happened. Kale had taught her how to manipulate the magic to a point where she could shoot things in the air. Rocks would break and fall to the ground. He showed her how to gently bring something to her and how to make it appear rather suddenly.

….

Chloe could see that after two weeks of absence from Artemis, that her papa was worried sick. His worry was probably amplified by the fact that monsters were sprouting up in Hyrule Field for some reason or another. She watched him fill water bottles for work, for training, and act like he hardly had the energy to cork them. He made his way to the door, practically a ghost staring into nothingness, and began to leave.

Chloe ran to him and tugged on his arm. She was probably a head shorter than Link, and she smiled up at him. "I love you Papa!" She hoped to raise his spirits, to remind him that he still had his other children. She wrapped her arms around his chest and squeezed him gently.

Link slowly raised his arms to Chloe and held her for a few minutes. She thought that she had perhaps made him feel better, but when he pulled back she saw that he was crying. She had simply made it worse. She bit her lip then held his hand in both of hers. "Papa, I want to help Daddy search for Missy. So does Seth. We want to help."

Link shook his head. "I don't want either of you leaving the town right now, with the Stalfos out there."

Chloe shook her head. "Papa, I know this hurts you, but you can't just keep us cooped up inside like you think we'll run too. Let us help!"

Link wiped away some of his tears and then kissed Chloe's forehead. "Princess, you just have to trust your Daddy and I. We'll find her." Then he exited the house.

Seth peeked down from the stairs. "He didn't go for it, did he?"

"No." Chloe crossed the room to meet her younger brother and bit her lip. "I think… we need to take matters into our own hands."

Seth's eyes widened. "Chloe, there are monsters in the fields again. I'm not making this up either—other people saw them too!" He looked out the window to see Dark and Link down the path, obviously upset. Dark hadn't found Artemis yet, and it was killing both of them. "We can't find her."

"Papa and Daddy don't get it though!" Chloe shook her head. "They can't be searching everywhere, because they come home every night. It takes weeks to get around Hyrule—they are only searching the castle grounds."

Seth nodded. "But if we leave, to go find her…" He looked again at his parents, outside. "Then we'll be gone too. I know it's for a good cause—but how can we do that to Papa?"

"Papa is the _Hero of Time_, Seth! He'll be okay, he knows what it feels like to be on a quest. Maybe this will bring him out of his stupid trance he's in, and make him realize that he _can't_ hide himself from Hyrule anymore! He has to step forward again and not only find Missy, but he has to figure out why these monsters are back."

"But that's just it! There are monsters! You don't know how to use a sword." Seth noticed Dark heading to the door, and pulled his sister up the stairs. Seth and Chloe were about the same height, had the same hair and eyes, and usually the same tastes. People often mistook them for twins. Once they were in the privacy of his bedroom, he continued. "What will you do if we're attacked?"

"I've been studying the monsters lately. I found this old book in the library, it's made out of really crumbly paper. It's got all _kinds_ of monsters in it. The woman at the desk said that it was used by deities to train their workers. Like the great tree and the fairies that Daddy told us about."

"So you think you're going to _read_ them to death?"

"No, but I think I can read you what their weaknesses are." Chloe heard footsteps on the stairs and fell silent. Dark knocked then opened the door.

"What are you two up to in here?" He asked. It was obvious that Dark was as upset about Artemis as Link. Instead of falling into a stupor though, he just tried to sort through what happened. His eyes had bags under them, and he was a little paler than usual. He was tired from searching, and based on the red in his cheeks, he was crying too.

"Nothing. Just thinking about stuff."

Dark shrugged. "I'm just going to lie down for a few minutes. Get started on your chores, please." He muttered before disappearing down the hall.

Seth looked into Chloe's eyes. "You've been doing all the cooking lately… what if they don't eat?"

It must have been strange for the two of them to be so worried about their parents. They were hardly old enough to understand the adult lifestyle, and there they were, worried that their _parents_ weren't eating enough.

Chloe was admittedly worried about her Daddy and Papa's relationship. She was scared that the stress of Artemis being gone was putting a pressure on their love life. To be honest, she probably shouldn't be worried if her parents are having sex, and kissing each other, and holding hands… But that didn't stop her. She _knew_ it was rough on them just being _homosexual._ She wasn't sure if Artemis or Seth really thought about it, but they went way out of the way to make it look like they didn't have any problems, when really they were just hiding them in sideways glances.

"We've got to do our chores first." Chloe whispered, "I'll cook up soup or something I can leave on the fire, I'll clean the kitchen and I'll straighten up the down stairs. You do your room and mine, and Missy's. It shouldn't be too bad. Then while I'm cooking I'll write a note or something, okay? Let's make it as comfortable as possible." She frowned, "Before we run away."

"Gods," Seth muttered, "We're going to break Papa's heart." He stood up to start cleaning. "I'll bring down a bag, and we can fill it with bread and some of the dried meat Papa uses when he goes out on trips with the knights."

Chloe nodded and made her way down to the kitchen. She had made a lot of food, but what she could make that would really help her parents; she didn't know. She looked around the kitchen. Maybe this called for a potion or something, as well? With an idea in her head she headed back to her room.

It wasn't a mess at all, and Seth was in there picking up the few things that were on the floor—books. He looked up. "C'mon, you told me to clean up here. The rooms are still clean from last week. I get up stairs."

"I came to get a book." She replied, and began searching her bookcase. With a grin, she pulled out a book of potions that she had obtained by a trade a long time before. It had all kinds of potion recipes in it. She flipped through it as she made her way back down the stairs.

There was a potion in there that the witch who gave it to her said had not been used in many, many generations. It was difficult to make, because the one who brewed it had to have entirely pure intentions or it would turn into black slime. It was called a 'Gold Potion', and from what she described, it could cure all magical and physical ailments, as well as empower the user.

Chloe couldn't think of a time when she had purer intentions, than to simply help her parents. She gathered up the ingredients, then frowned at them. These were all very bitter, distasteful things! How could she disguise this as a soup? She thought only a moment before she grabbed some carrots and onions.

Half an hour later Seth came in with his arms crossed. "Hello? I just got done with the upstairs _and_ the downstairs. What is taking so long with this soup?" He looked over to see it bubbling on the stove, warm and golden, and waited for a response.

"I'm watching, to make sure it doesn't turn black." She muttered. Seeing the question on Seth's face, she added "It's got a potion in it that turns black if it's made wrong."

"You put a potion in there?" Seth raised an eyebrow, and stuck out his tongue. "Yuck."

Chloe rolled her eyes and resumed what she had been doing-writing a letter for her parents to find when they left. Seth filled a backpack with bread and dried meat, and even a few bottles of water and that soup that Chloe had made. It smelled really good, even with the potion in it, and with a little taste he came to realize that it tasted good too. Then, with just a book about monsters and a training sword, they ventured out into Hyrule Field.

…..

Artemis stood a fair distance away from Kale, in Kakariko village. Something was strange about him—she could just feel it. She wasn't sure why, but she was sure she didn't trust him entirely. However, over the course of the last two weeks he had trained her to use her powers really well.

He was a healer—his power could do nothing but heal wounds or create happy little flowers. At least, that's what he had led her to believe. But now she could use a lot of magic. She could move things, create things, summon things, and she could even levitate herself! There was just something about him… Something that seemed both familiar and bad at the same time.

He threw six darts at her, at lightning speed. The goal here was for her to use her own magic not only to stop them, but to spin them around back at him. With the raise of her arms, the darts changed their course, and Kale smiled before moving to dodge them.

She ran to him and laughed in excitement. "I did it!" She beamed, and he pulled her to him by the small of her back, and planted a kiss on her lips. She melted into it.

Artemis did _not_ trust Kale entirely. However, she wasn't going to reject the affection of such an attractive man, and so she hadn't been scared to share herself with him. Of course, to an extent, that was. She wouldn't be sleeping with him anytime soon, she was young and he was just a man she met two weeks before, but she certainly thought he was kissable.

He must have thought that about her too, because it seemed like he was showering her with affection lately. Something about that added to her lack of trust for him, but she didn't mind.

When she pulled away from that kiss, she took his hand and led him to sit down. "Tell me about yourself," She began, "Who are your parents? How old are you?"

He smiled, "I'm eighteen." He started, "My mother was a hylian woman who lived here in Kakariko, and trained me in magic. She was great, but she died last year."

Artemis bit her lip. His _mother_ was the Hylian half of him? That meant… his father… was a Gerudo. Everyone knew there was only _one_ male Gerudo every 100 years…

Kale noticed the way she fell silent, and frowned. "Yeah, that's right." He groaned, "Before the Hero of Time saved Hyrule, a lot of women who were _attractive_ were summoned to Gannon's castle. He had his way with the whole lot of them, and would just dump them in the field the next day and summon a new batch." He crossed his legs in the grass. "My mother was one of them. She had nightmares about it her whole life. She became pregnant," He looked away, "Because of him… but she never told anyone. She hid in the underground of Kakariko until Gannon's reign ended, so he wouldn't learn about me. She always said she didn't want to give him the 'satisfaction of an heir'."

Artemis tried to remember what her parents had been arguing about before she ran away. Her father was the Hero of Time. She was about to go on and say that, when Kale spoke up again.

"I'll never forgive that man, Link." He growled, "If he had spent less time wasting away at that stupid ranch, if he had put saving Hyrule first, like a real hero… He would have defeated Gannon before my mother was taken. Just one month earlier…" He rolled his eyes. "I heard that he had a family now, and left Hyrule with his wife and children. He didn't even _marry_ that farm girl. What a waste of time! I hope him, and his family, suffer in the most painful ways imaginable."

"Y-you don't mean that." Artemis squeaked, now sensing more of why she didn't trust him. It was bred into her not to trust him. She was the daughter of the Hero of Time, and he was the son of the King of Evil. But he was an illegitimate son… and he seemed very peaceful and friendly—except for this outburst of distaste.

"Do you think he _knows_? She was pregnant, alone, and scared. She was absolutely insulted, people called her a whore, because she claimed she 'didn't know' who the father was. How can he ever know what that's like? He will _never_ know the feeling of being that fragile, and that alone." Kale shook his head. "I can agree to disagree with you, Arty," He began, "But I will never be happy until that family gets _exactly_ what they deserve."

_That was sort of… ominous…_ Artemis thought to herself.

"Sorry," He muttered, "It just makes me angry. Tell me about your family."

"Oh, I… uh…" She gulped. "My Daddy… he's a retired knight—he was um, injured… and my _Mommy_… she works for Princess Zelda, and brings meals to the training knights, because Daddy can't work."

"Yeah? Do you have any siblings?" Kale smiled, taking her hand. She flinched a little, but he held it tightly. "I don't bite. I'm sorry if I worried you. I wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I have a brother and a sister… Seth and Chloe. They're…" Artemis smiled. "They're the most annoying things in the world. Seth will blabber _anything_ you ask him to keep secret," She thought back to the reason why she ran in the first place, and silently wished she hadn't. If her Daddy was really such a strong demon… then he could have probably taught her magic just as well as Kale. "…And Chloe thinks she's smarter than everyone else. She actually is—all she ever does is study—but she'll make a point to remind you of it. But… They're my best friends too."

She smiled, remembering her family, and a homesick feeling filled up her gut. She wanted to be with her sister again, telling stories about boys and gossip. She wanted to be arguing with Seth, and playing silly games with him. Mostly though, she wanted to apologize to her parents. She missed them a lot. She missed lounging around the house with her Daddy, talking about books and what they would do if they could write one. She missed the smile on her Papa's face when she visited him at work, and how –regardless of who he was training—he would drop everything to give her a giant hug and ask her how she was doing.

"Sounds nice." He thought for a minute. "You're all named after gods and goddesses." Artemis shrugged. She hadn't thought about it like that. She did know that her name was the most uncommon, and that it was the Goddess of Courage, though.

Kale reached over and touched the necklace dangling on Artemis' neck. It was a delicate seagull charm with an emerald for its eyes. "What is this?"

Artemis touched it, a little defensively. "My Papa gave it to me the day I was born." She smiled. "He told me, when I was older, that it signified the courage that runs through our family, and that I should pass it down to my children someday."

"Your _Papa_?" Kale asked, "Do you call your father Papa or Daddy? You've said both now. Most people stick to just one."

"Oh, uh," Artemis smiled, "My Papa, my Daddy, same difference? I just use both." She wasn't entirely lying. She did use both names when addressing her parents, the lie was that she had a Mommy.

…

Link came home to see Dark, sitting in the chair and staring out the window, the way that he had done before. He tried to be comforting, but when he arrived he saw tears on the man's cheeks. He sat down. "Dark? Are you okay?"

"I just took a nap." Dark whispered. He looked at Link. "I was asleep. I told them to do their chores, and I just… I was so tired… I just took a nap."

Link was confused, but noticed a folded piece of paper in Dark's hand. He reached for it, but Dark held it away. He wrapped his arms around the hero and hugged him tightly. "Please, don't be angry at me, Hero. I love you, I wouldn't have let this happen on purpose."

"What are you _talking_ about?" Link frowned, snatching away the paper. He read it silently.

_Dear Papa and Daddy,_

_We know that you're very upset about Missy going missing, so we decided to take this into our own hands. You can't expect us to sit around and do nothing, when you won't go out to find her either. We're going to search the nearby cities first, then make our way to the forests and lake. _

_Lately I've been studying some monsters, so I know most of what we're up against. Seth is going to keep us safe, with my help, and we'll be okay._

_We took some of your dried meat, and a lot of bread. Sorry Papa. I made soup for you, it's on the fire. I think it will make you feel a lot better—I'm going to call it Elixir Soup for now. I hope you like it. We took some of that too._

_Daddy, please don't feel bad that we left. We did all of our chores and even cleaned up the bedrooms. I'm sorry we took advantage of the fact you were sleeping—you needed your rest._

_Papa, don't worry about us. We're going to come home safe, and with Artemis. If we can't find her, we'll come home. You just be safe, and keep those monsters out of the Castle Town. _

_We love you both so much,_

_Love Chloe and Seth._

_P.S. If the soup is black, don't eat it._

Link stared at the letter, in his daughter's swirly handwriting, and fell into the chair. He met eyes with Dark, who looked away in shame. Then he felt the fear.

All of his children were gone now—and in a place where he couldn't help them. He read the note again. The last part was really about the soup? Hadn't he taught her not to be so impersonal? But he sighed and stood up. Dark looked up at him with a little fear, thinking perhaps they were about to get into a fight.

"Come on," He said, "We're going to the castle."

Dark stood, but was confused. "What for?"

"I need to get a good sword, and we need to find out if Zelda knows anything about the monsters." He took Dark's hand. "Then we have to go find them."

Dark followed Link with a frown. "You're not upset?"

Link shook his head. "Chloe was right this morning, and she's right again now. We can't find her if we don't look, and we're just wasting away here. In fact, let's save some time. I'll go to the castle, you stay here and fill some bottles full of that soup, and some water. Get anything we'll need, blankets, clothes, you know, and stuff it into a bag."

Dark nodded, but saw a worried look cross Link's face. "Are you okay, Hero?"

"Do you think they took blankets too?" Link rubbed his arms. "It's cold in the field at night, and I'm just…" He looked out the window. "I'm worried."

Dark took Link's hand and gave it a squeeze. "If they're the kids we raised, they're going to be fine."

Link smiled. "You keep saying that, don't you?"


	3. I Don't Approve

In a dark room by himself, Kale sat in the quiet. After only a few moments though a red light filled the room and a projection of a man that struck fear into the hearts of every other person appeared. He smirked down at Kale, who just sat cross armed. They were silent, while Kale ignored his presence.

"You are falling for that girl, aren't you?" Gannondorf's ghost frowned in disapproval. "But she won't ever be the one for you. She is impure."

Kale rolled his eyes. "Just because she's not a Gerudo doesn't make her impure, father." He played with some magic in the air. Kale did not like his father, simply because he loved his mother. His mother was raped, and hated Gannondorf. If not for the fact that his father came to him in spirit, after his defeat, he wouldn't have ever met him. Now it was just a matter of control; Gannon was _going_ to come back, and Kale's life depended entirely on if he did what he was told to do. "Now what do you want?"

"You're taking too long to take control of Artemis." Gannon growled. "You are wasting time trying to woo her, and you need to come down and take over her now. Her family is rather powerful, and if they find her they will surely take her back."

"I'm not _trying to woo _her. I'm actually dating her. This girl isn't a bad person, she doesn't deserve what you're trying to do to her. Why do we need to take control of her _anyway_?" Kale whined, "She's the sweetest girl in the world, she doesn't have an evil bone in her body."

"She is the key to my redemption." Gannon laughed, "She is the only one with the power to open the twilight realm I am sealed in, without the sages."

"Why? What gives her the power to open the other world that took six sages and a PRINCESS to open, all by herself? How can that possibly work?" Kale shrugged, "You know, you're kind of a jerk. I'm not sure the world really needs you."

"I'm here to rid the world of petty emotion. I am here to _save it_."

Kale laughed. "You're the King of Evil, pops, I'm not going to believe you want to help anyone. I don't mind helping you, since you promised me my life, but I'm not going to listen to your bull shit."

Gannon glared. "Don't you want to kill the Hero of Time? Kill the man who trapped me here? Kill the man who failed to save your mother in the first place? He has wronged _both _of your parents. He is the reason why you were _born._"

Kale could see what Gannondorf was doing. He was playing the card about how much the teenager's life sucked, and how it was all Link's fault. His entire fault, but Kale wasn't so sure anymore. His mother had _never_ been angry at Link. That was something Gannondorf introduced to him, told him. What if it was all a lie? What if this was just some sort of loophole to get Kale on the dark side?

"I… Yes, of course sir, I just don't know why we can't do it with a _different_ demon. Why does it have to be Artemis? Why does it have to be someone I _care_ for?"

Gannondorf sneered. "You will just have to wait and see. Take over her mind, today."

"Father, I—!" but Gannondorf had vanished. Kale released the magic he had been toying with in the air. "I love her…"

I love her. It was a sentence that had first crossed Kale's mind only a few days before, but now, after spending a month with the girl nonstop, living with her in a hotel, and getting to know her… he could admit it to himself. He loved the way she saw past his appearance. The Gerudo were never a vicious tribe, but they had a very bad reputation throughout Hyrule. People saw him, saw he was a male and a Gerudo, and assumed he was the next evil king.

She would stand up for him until the people left. Mysteriously though, people hardly commented on the fact that she was a demon. It wasn't really a good thing to be a demon either, regardless of the color of their eyes. She was beautiful, and used her magic freely around town, but people just looked past it. They didn't even give her a sideways glance.

Kale smiled when he thought about her. She was absolutely beautiful, but her beauty didn't just stop there. She was smart, she was courageous… She was compassionate… She was raised really well.

And he hoped that he would spend a long time with her too.

…..

Artemis smiled brightly when she saw Kale come into view. All of her trust issues with him had disappeared over the course of the last month, and she was admittedly smitten with him. She jogged over to him and took his hands. "Are you ready to do training today? I want you to show me how to make stuff turn into flowers, like you can."

Kale smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I can try. You know, you can't do _everything_. You're limited to the powers of good demons." He paused, "Unless your mother or father was an evil demon."

Artemis laughed, like that was crazy, but thought back to her Daddy. He _was_ a demon. He _had_ been evil. She probably wasn't limited at all. She was part every kind of demon, part savior of Hyrule. She thought for a moment. She was probably pretty powerful.

That kind of power didn't bother her though, because she was raised in a loving, safe home. She wasn't raised to hurt people. She was very lucky. With Kale's embrace she missed the warmth of her Papa's hugs, and she held back a frown. She wanted to go home.

…..

Link heard Dark yelp and collapse to the ground. With a gasp he turned around to face the ex-demon and saw that he had been attacked by a ReDead. What in the _hell_ was a ReDead doing in Hyrule Field? They had never been able to bear the sunlight before! He looked up. Sure, it was cloudy… but not so cloudy that a ReDead shouldn't be burning to a crisp.

But he had to act fast to kill it, because it was already trying to devour Dark, who could of course to do almost nothing to defend himself. While Link used the iron sword to ward off the zombie, he thought about how much it must bother Dark. He was no longer a strong swordsman—he had never really trained his human muscles. He just _looked_ well built. He wasn't though. He was just an average guy. Average men hardly could fight each other, let alone magical monsters.

Dark shouted and crawled out from under the monster when Link began to fight it, and instantly began to cradle his arm, which had a big fat bite pulled out of it. He stared at it a little confused. It wasn't too much pain, it didn't seem like the muscles were hurt… he just had a pretty nasty bite.

Link disposed of the beast and kneeled next to his husband, pulling out a vial of potion and some bandages. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to what was behind me." He poured a little trail of the potion directly onto the bloody wound, then handed the rest to Dark to drink.

Dark raised an eyebrow at the burning sensation in his arm. "I'm not drinking this." He groaned, "This is every kind of nasty."

Link shook his head. "Fine, let it heal on its own, get infected, and ooze puss. Whatever you want, dear." He snickered, beginning to wrap the wound. "Um," He blushed a little, seeing the nasty face that Dark was making. "You remember when we used to have to give Seth tonic, because of his allergies?"

Dark smiled, and nodded, deciding to drink the potion. Seth used to be very allergic to what seemed like everything involved with summer. He grew out of it over time, but he was the hardest child to convince to take medicine. He was probably two years old, and he would fight and fight not to take it, and when they _finally_ forced the spoon into his mouth Seth would spit the medicine back out.

"He was probably the worst one." Dark laughed. He could remember all _kinds_ of things that Seth did to annoy his parents. "He used to take off his diapers and 'paint' the walls, remember?"

Link winced. "That was yucky." He watched Dark smile at him. "But remember how sweet he was too? He used to bring hankies if when you sneezed."

Dark smiled. "Yeah. He was cute. He used to throw food into the walls too."

Link planted a kiss on the freshly bandaged wound and smiled at Dark. "Well… I have a _lot_ of good memories with our kids."

Dark shrugged. "I do too, I'm just saying they were a hassle when they were young. I'm proud of them now, for being so self sufficient."

Link helped Dark to his feet and walked in silence for a while. They were nearing Kakariko, and hoped they would find Chloe and Seth there. They were only a few hours behind them, anyway. Finally he looked back to Dark and bit his lip. "Dark… What if… we did it again?"

"Did what?"

"…a baby."

Dark couldn't suppress his laugh. Link narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny?"

"Just this is the first time you've asked me. The first two times you knew before me, and Seth was mostly you getting really angry at me while I begged you not to be upset. We've never actually _discussed_ it before. You've never had to convince me."

Link shrugged. "How can I convince you then."

Dark raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?" But the look in the blonde's eyes said he was. Dark bit his lip. "Link, I don't mean to offend you here, but we're getting older."

"Dark, I'm thirty four. Some people don't have their _first_ child until then."

"But there would be a twelve _year_ age difference between Seth and the baby—they wouldn't even see each other as siblings!"

Link frowned. That was a pretty good point, but that didn't make him stop thinking about it. Dark smiled at him. "Okay, Link," He laughed, "Before we set this in stone, and I convince myself that this is a brilliant idea, why don't you think about it for a while first. I mean, once I say go, it's done."

"What would I have to think about?" Link asked, confused.

"Maybe think about if the reason you want another baby is because the three you have are gone. Maybe this is just because you miss our kids." He paused, "Or maybe you just want another because you see that ours don't _need_ you anymore. They're out on their own."

Link bit his lip. Okay, so maybe he was feeling a little unimportant, but that wasn't the reason why he wanted another baby. "I'll think about it, some more," Link muttered, clearly upset, "I really want this though, and I don't think anything can talk me out of it. Besides, I had three babies entirely because _you_ wanted them."

Dark smiled, letting the thoughts drift over his mind. He would, of course, let Link decide. He would have to be _thoroughly_ convinced to have another baby. But he did love his children…

…..

Chloe had been wrong. She knew it, and Seth knew it. They could _not_ handle these monsters, and after being on the road for two weeks, and barely making it to Kakariko, they were both kissing the ground of safety.

Seth had a pretty bad bruise on his shoulder, where he had been nailed by the broadside of a Stalfos sword, and his wound on his arm had opened up again. The two of them however, had not thought about getting hurt. They were so focused on leaving and food, they forgot the bandages and the potions and the blankets. They were cold, Chloe had a fever, and Seth was injured.

To be quite honest, they really missed their parents. It only took a little thought for Chloe to remember that when it was chilly outside their Papa would make them warm milk, while their Daddy would bring them blankets that had been sitting near the fire, and were nice and warm. They would sit together in the sitting room and they would tell stories about the weather, and ghosts.

The two of them collapsed onto the grass, and would have stayed there too, if not for the sight they beheld—Artemis was just a few yards away, levitating in the air and manipulating some rocks.

Seth jumped up to the best of his sore, tired ability and pulled Chloe to her feet, and they ran to her. They closed the distance and stared at her, panting, smiling, and considering crying. Seth shrugged off the tears though—he figured they were mostly caused by being so tired, and succeeding in their journey.

Artemis thought she was going to pee herself. Her eyes filled with joy and she gasped, landing gracefully on the ground. She was looking at her family, her family that she had been longing for the past month. She beamed and hugged them tightly.

"Chloe, Seth!" She gasped, embracing them, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you!" Chloe beamed, taking her sister's hands. She noticed a man she didn't know, Kale, walk up behind Artemis.

"Who is this?" He asked, lacing his arms around her and planting a kiss on the back of her head. Artemis smiled up at him.

"This is Chloe and Seth!" She smiled, "My sister and brother. Oh, and this is Kale," She added. "He's been teaching me how to use my powers, and he's sort of my boyfriend."

Chloe's eyes lit up just at the mention of a boyfriend—oh what gossip they had to catch up on, but Seth didn't seem to care. He looked into his sister's eyes. "Missy, you have to come home—now."

Chloe agreed. "Daddy and Papa have been worried sick—They aren't even _eating_."

Kale raised an eyebrow. "Daddy and Papa?" He asked, looking at Artemis.

She blushed a little, but ignored the question. "Are they with you?" She asked while she peeked behind them. She frowned when she failed to see her parents. She missed them so much.

"They'll probably be following our trail," Seth groaned, "We had the worst time fighting the monsters." He looked over his shoulder at the entrance to the town, but after that statement Artemis reached out and took his wrist again, much as she had when he first fell out of the tree and hurt his arm.

"Is this the _same_ cut? What happened?" She gasped, reaching into a little purse and pulling out some potion. Seth made a face.

"I won't drink that." He muttered. "Do you have bandages though?"

Artemis nodded, "I really want to go home," She started to speak as she pulled out the roll of bandages. She carried them on her person, just in case she or Kale got hurt during the training. She smiled to herself when she thought about how her Papa carried them with him as well, for almost the same reason, "If they aren't mad at me, I mean."

"Papa cried for days, Missy. He was so upset that he just stared out the window and cried. They were probably mad too, but at this point they'll probably just be happy to see you again." Chloe grew quieter, and then frowned, "The day we left to go find you, even _Daddy_ was crying."

"How can you have a Papa _and_ a Daddy?" Kale asked once more, frustrated that he was being ignored.

Artemis shrugged not wanting to go into it in front of her family, but Seth answered as if it was totally obvious. "When they were young, Dad used magic to make Papa pregnant. It was an accident, I think, but they decided to go through with it, and they had all of us." He looked behind him again, "Anyway, If they followed us they probably left the same day, and they're probably a lot better at slaying monsters, so they could be here any minute."

Kale looked pale, "You were born… from a man?" He asked, looking at the three of them. Artemis put her hands on her hips, frustrated.

"Yes. You were born from a woman. How is that any different? We both came from Hylians, yes?" She shook her head "Don't act so surprised. If magic can turn rocks into flowers, why can't it make a man have a baby?" She turned her attention to Chloe again. "Look what I can do!" she smiled, lifting some rocks into the air and transforming them into flowers. She went through a few interesting tricks that she had learned.

Chloe was so happy to see Missy, but she had a bad feeling about Kale. He was very… ominous. He looked really upset that they had two fathers, too. She shrugged. Hopefully it was her imagination.

….

They sat and talked for hours, catching up on Missy's powers and the journey that Chloe and Seth had made. They sat in the entrance to the town, under the tree that grew in between the cliffs. Kale stood with them, intrigued by the way that Arty looked very little like her siblings, but exactly the same at once.

It wasn't until sunset that the two figures came over the horizon. Artemis stared, seeing the men. Her parents.

She could see the breathing in Link's chest become irregular as he saw her, the way he started to cry just a little when he saw her from the distance. She watched him stagger for a moment, before stepping forward, and then a moment later breaking into a run. She saw her Daddy smile warmly before following, a little slower. She noticed that Dark was cradling his arm.

But she didn't have time to question it, because as she got to her feet she was enveloped in Link's arms. He was practically suffocating her. She didn't mind. She wrapped her arms around him and cried with him, listening to his racing heartbeat. "Oh, Missy," he whispered, "Gods, I was so worried about you. I love you. I'm sorry."

Artemis just nuzzled into his arms and cried, too happy to speak.

Kale was a little stunned, as he watched the reunion. He watched them hug, and then shortly after the blonde man collapsed to his knees to hug Chloe and Seth, who were still sitting on the ground. He wiped his happy tears and kissed their foreheads, earning a look of disgust, followed by a smile, from Seth.

Dark arrived a moment later, and with the arm that wasn't injured, he gave Artemis a tight squeeze. "I'm sorry, Missy," He whispered, "If I could do it over again, I would have told you before."

Artemis couldn't have been happier. She smiled broadly and looked at Kale. "Daddy, Papa," She started, "This is Kale. He taught me a lot about how to control my powers." She blushed, and an understanding look came over both men's faces.

Kale watched both men look at him, and realized he was about to be judged by his girlfriend's parents. The blonde one smiled at him broadly, but the one with black hair, like Arty's, stared at him for a few minutes, like he was searching into his soul.

Link stood up to face Kale and dusted off his pants before reaching out his hand to shake Kale's. "I'm glad you took care of Artemis." He began, "And I'm sorry you just had to witness that—there's nothing comfortable about watching a whole family cry." He laughed awkwardly. "I'm Link." He smiled warmly.

Artemis flashed back to her earlier conversation with Kale, and bit her lip. Kale's eyes widened, and he pulled his hand away from Link.

"You… You're the Hero of Time, aren't you?" He began, looking the blonde over. Link shrugged.

"I was, but that's no big deal. I don't bite. How do you even _know_ about that?"

He looked at Dark. "You're the demon!" He gasped, "You're both them!"

Dark raised an eyebrow. "How do you know..?"

"You're the one who betrayed my father!" He growled, "You caused his defeat!" He glared at Dark, but they were both confused.

Artemis frowned. "Kale, what are you talking about, you said—?"

Link and Dark exchanged glances. "Betrayed your father?" But then it dawned on Dark. He _was_ a gerudo after all. "Oh my god. Gannondorf was your father." Dark looked behind him at Chloe and Seth, and then stepped in front of them instinctively. Link bit his lip. How unfortunate for Artemis to be attracted to him.

"Artemis," He began, "Get back behind us."

Artemis laughed. "Papa, don't be silly, Kale wouldn't hurt a…fly…" She gasped when she felt a tingling sensation envelop her. "Kale?"

Kale used a red magic to raise Artemis into the air a few feet. After a few moments of using her powers to try and escape, she shook her head. "Kale, you told me you could only heal people!"

Dark was not _about_ to lose Artemis again. Kale didn't have time to complete his plan of action before Dark was throwing a punch with his good arm to his stomach. Link ran over and caught Artemis as the spell broke, and glared at Kale.

"I don't care _who_ you think you are. I told Gannondorf when he tried to fucking _kidnap_ her that I would fight for my baby forever. No one, not that asshole and not _you_ will hurt my family again."

Artemis stared at Kale in shock. "What are you doing?" She gasped, standing behind her father. She went to approach the wizard, but Dark put himself between them. "You… you told me you hated Gannondorf."

"I _told you_ I hate the Hero of Time." He glared at her and added, "As well as his family." His stare grew cold and she felt her heart beat faster.

Artemis's blue eyes grew wide and she looked away. "Fine."

Kale crossed his arms in anger. "This isn't the end." He sneered before running away. Dark looked over his family and sighed.

"Let's go home." He wrapped an arm around Chloe, but quickly pulled it back. "Princess, are you sick?" He asked, putting the back of his hand against her red cheek.

The nickname Princess came from Dark. He always joked that Chloe looked more like Zelda than himself. It was, of course, a joke, but it caught on eventually and both men grew to call her Princess. Seth frowned.

"We didn't bring any medicine or blankets." He admitted. Link pulled out another vial of potion, and held it up. Seth fake-gagged.

"I won't drink that."

A knowing look passed between Link and Dark, and the dominant raised an eyebrow and smirked. Link knew, absolutely _knew_ that he was saying 'I told you so'. He didn't need a mind link to communicate with Dark anymore.

As he forced the bottle into Seth's hand, Artemis silently hugged Dark.

She was heartbroken, a little. She thought she was in love with Kale, and he turned out to be an enemy. She knew she shouldn't have trusted him, especially after what he said about her Papa two weeks earlier.

"I love you Daddy." She spoke into Dark's shirt. He smiled at her, but then caught a snicker from Link. The blonde had silently won that battle.

Children had their benefits. Who was Dark to refuse to have another? He smiled. Maybe another wouldn't be so—No. He couldn't think like that. He had to remember that this was Link's choice, and that he would wait, for certain, until the Hero decided.

….

Two weeks later Artemis collapsed down onto the sofa in her family's sitting room and grinned. She was home. Chloe and Seth had gone upstairs to change their clothes—they hadn't packed those, and felt pretty gross. Artemis hadn't packed anything, but Kale… Kale bought her new clothes, and paid for her to stay in the inn.

Link made his way into the Kitchen, and was followed by Dark, who started up the fire in the stove. It was getting chilly out, and it called for warm milk. Once the fire was lit, he faced Link.

"So, Hero?" He began, "What is your decision?"

Dark had to admit, he really wanted Link to say yes. He had wanted him to since the day he brought it up. He wanted to have another baby—to an extent, and he was just keeping the doubt in his mind because he didn't want to _accidentally_ curse Link again. As he put the kettle of milk on the fire, Link rolled his eyes in Dark's direction and sat at the table.

"Well," He started, "Last week I decided that I didn't think it was a good idea. I thought about how much trouble it was, and how it would affect them…" He nodded into the living room, where Chloe and Seth were now with their sister. "I don't want to stress them out, you know, and those monsters were probably a bad sign. I don't want to do that, in this kind of environment you know?"

Dark's face fell, but he hid it behind a smirk. "I told you so," He half-heartedly chirped.

Link narrowed his eyes. "You remember though, why when our children were sick, I never made you take care of them, yes?"

Dark shrugged. "Yeah. You don't get sick. You have the immunities of a God." Dark pulled the kettle off the fire. "So?"

Link laughed. "You had me going—acting like you thought another baby was a bad idea. You made me think you _really _didn't want it."

"I-I didn't." Dark frowned, "I wanted you to decide, and you did, so it's settled." Dark poured the cups and started for the door with a tray full of mugs of the beverage and a cup of honey.

Link smirked. "I threw up this morning."

Dark's back stiffened. "S-so? Do you want me to make you some tea?" He turned around to see Link staring at him with a raised eyebrow. A smile blossomed across his face.

….

Kale stood in the same dark room, awaiting the appearance of his father. He was frustrated, and angry. After two weeks, Gannon's figure appeared as a ghost. "What do you _want_." He groaned. "Where is the girl?"

"You should have told me." Kale glared, "That I was falling in love with Link's daughter."

Gannondorf smirked devilishly and raised an eyebrow. "Aw, did I hurt your _feelings_?" Kale pouted a little, and his father added, "I told you she wasn't the one for you. Now you need to find her—she is the one who can open the door."

Kale thought that over. Now it made sense—her father was a demon and her… mother (?) had the Triforce of Courage. She was probably more powerful than all the sages combined. He frowned, and lightly touched his chest. Why did that fact—knowing that she was so strong—make him worry about her?

He looked at Gannon with an unfortunate shrug. "How should I find her? I have no idea where she lives, and she's probably home now, with her parents."

"She most certainly _lives_ in the market town." The evil king began, "And as for how you will lure her away from her parents? Well, you just said you were in _love_ with her, yes? Then woo her. Make her trust you."

Kale looked down and sighed. "Whatever you say."

…...

_This is a pretty short chapter, the goal was to cover a lot of ground. I hope you don't mind. R&R_


	4. Surprise, surprise

Link rubbed his arms and stepped out into the chilly night air to go see Artemis. She had been standing out on her balcony (the only room in the house _with a_ balcony was hers) for the past hour, and he was starting to worry about her.

She was just standing there, leaning on the railing with her hair blowing around in the gentle wind. He cleared his throat and made his way to stand next to her, trying to find what she was looking at. All he could see was the faint outline of Death Mountain in the distance. He frowned and twiddled his fingers.

"Missy…" He started to talk, but stopped. She really was just _staring_ at that mountain. "Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" He asked, once again staring out at the mountain as well.

Artemis closed her eyes, her long eyelashes kissing her cheeks, and muttered, "I just can't believe Kale would act like that."

Link nodded a little to himself. Yes, that boy Kale had acted strangely. But when Link thought back to before Artemis was born, Gannon had mentioned that he _wanted_ an heir—that was why he wanted Artemis. Surely if he knew he had a son, he wouldn't have cared for Missy.

He didn't really know what had been going on between his daughter and that boy. He didn't know how they felt about each other, or how they had met. All he really knew was that he was _bad._

"Sometimes people just do bad things." Link whispered. He thought about Dark, and how when they met he was evil. Heck, he was evil for quite some times after they met—and even wanted to kill him when he entered the Water Temple for the second time. But he was just convincing himself of this now—Artemis probably didn't have much faith that Kale would turn out alright. Neither did Link, for that matter.

Kale was going to be evil. That was pretty matter of fact, based on how infuriated he was that Dark had betrayed Gannon, and Link was the Hero of Time.

Artemis shook her head. "It doesn't make sense though." She started, "That he would be so upset. He told me he didn't have other magic, and he told me that he—…"

"It doesn't matter what people say, sometimes." Link interrupted. "Sometimes they're just lying. Even cute boys can lie, Missy." He tore his eyes from the mountain tops and looked over at his daughter. "I think its best you try to stay away from him. He's probably not got very good intentions."

Artemis sighed. "Papa, he taught me a lot about my powers."

Link nodded. "I'm glad to hear that."

"I… I really liked him." She whispered.

Link smiled. "It's a good thing there are a lot of fish in the sea." He shivered. "It's chilly out here, don't you want to come inside?"

Artemis nodded. "Yeah."

"You know," Link began, opening the door, "I bet your Daddy would be very flattered if you let _him_ teach you some magic. He was the one who gave it to you, anyway."

"Papa, if Daddy was an evil demon, why are his eyes blue?"

Link smiled, thoughtfully. "They were red, once." He thought about the devious red eyes that Dark used to have. Even if the only thing that changed were their color, just having the scarlet orbs made him seem much more intimidating and elusive. "But when you were born, he gave up his powers as a demon. He wanted to defeat Gannondorf, to keep you safe." He smiled, "Then he became a human."

Artemis closed the door behind her, and flopped onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. "Papa… Can I become human?"

Link froze. He had no idea. Dark had to renounce all the evil in him—would Missy have to renounce all the good in her? That didn't make sense. Besides, if she did, she would just disappear, like Dark almost did. No, she certainly could _not_ turn human. Link shook his head and hid his frown. "Missy, your magic is a gift from the goddesses, and I'm not lying this time."

Artemis smiled and Link continued. "You don't need to change anything about yourself. I love you the way you are—and anyone who is worth your time will too."

…..

Time passed and the family fell back into their normal routines. Link went to work every day, training soldiers and Seth. Chloe resumed her studies, however spent a lot more time focusing on the legend of the hero of time, trying to piece together what was true and what was _actually_ a legend. Dark pulled his nose out of the books, and began to show Artemis what she could do with her magic, as well as how to control her magic when she was emotional.

The early fall was blossoming into an icy winter, and Link was never sick again, to both his and Dark's mild disappointment. The fact that Link was _not_ going to have another baby, though, gave them time to talk about how it would have been a bad idea anyway. The monsters were continuing to sprout up like daisies, and until they could determine if Kale was involved, or if Gannon was coming back, or if it was a whole _new_ danger, they couldn't risk bringing another baby into the picture.

Which is why what happened, two months later, while Link was training with Seth made the two of them a little shaky.

It was cold out, and the grass was frosted over. There had not been a snow yet, but it was coming. Link waited for Seth to show up for his lesson and rubbed his arms. He absolutely hated the cold. He hated it more than anyone else, he decided, because they were all cuddling and prancing around with happy smiles.

Training did not cause smiles. He had sparred with a few knights that day, and had come out fine—it seemed. He had just finished with one, and had taken a pretty nasty elbow to his gut, but besides having the wind knocked out of him, he felt fine.

Link was wearing a thin jacket over his long sleeves, and he had a thick, fluffy scarf wrapped all the way up and around his nose. He was certain that if he had a funny hat, he would look much like Sheik had. He _wanted_ to wear a heavier coat, but knew that if he did he wouldn't be able to use his sword as quickly. He noticed Seth coming up to meet him, and stood up. Shortly after standing up, he passed out.

Seth watched in what seemed like slow motion as his Papa fell. His eyes just rolled back and he collapsed into the ground, rolling a little bit down the hill. Apollo whimpered and ran ahead, and Seth quickly ran behind him.

When he got to Link, the man was beginning to awaken from his dazed state, and clutching his stomach, where he had been hit before. Seth sat on his knees and gasped. "Papa? Are you okay?" He looked around for some kind of potion, something he could give Link, but all the medicine was up at the top of the hill. He started to run for it, but Link grabbed his ankle.

"Seth, someone got hurt earlier and we used the entire potion. I don't have any." He stopped for a moment. He felt a painful burning come up his chest, and a moment later he spat out a red trail. Seth gasped. Was that _blood_?

"Papa, we have to go see the Princess!" Seth exclaimed, beginning to help Link up.

Link shook his head, the pain passing. "N-no, let's just go home." He slowly got to his feet, and Seth held him up on his shoulder.

Seth frowned. "You're stupid, Papa." He muttered, "If you don't get help, you could pass out again by the time we even get down the whole hill. What if you're dying?"

Link raised a manicured eyebrow. "Excuse me? I'm not dying." He regained his balance and slowly began up to his bag. "I'm just… hurt… I guess." His face was pale, and Seth followed behind him on the hill, hoping to catch him if he fell again.

"Papa…" Seth was genuinely worried, and while Link didn't want to go see the Princess—almost afraid of what she would tell him—he was very flattered that his son cared so much. He wasn't, however, flattered by Seth's next comment. "I'll tell Dad you passed out and coughed up blood."

Link stopped moving and glared at his son and dog, as if Apollo had given Seth the idea of what to say. "You will do no such thing." He balanced on the tree atop the hill and reached down, shakily, to get his bag.

"I'll do it right here and now." Seth smirked, seeing Dark and Artemis just across the field. Link raised an eyebrow as they passed by—not seeing or not caring to greet them.

"Um," Link bit his lip. "You'll keep everything a secret?" He couldn't believe he was _bargaining_ with Seth, especially since Seth was a goddess given _liar_ when it came to keeping secrets. He was the biggest tattle tale of the children, and he was very good about spilling the beans on everything.

Seth was a liar, but not to his Papa. He nodded. "That is, if you aren't really sick. Then I won't keep it a secret, unless _you_ tell Dad."

Link rolled his eyes and strapped the bag on his back, carefully heading towards the castle.

….

Dark smiled at his two daughters and looked around. Link was still working—he hadn't even begun his training with Seth it seemed. It was lunch time, and Dark, while he didn't play favorites with his children, certainly wanted them to play favorites with him.

So on days like this, when he had to wear mittens and a hat to cover his ears, he liked to take his daughters out for a good, warm lunch. Link couldn't do that—he was busy working. Dark inwardly smiled at that. Being the favorite was good. He was already the more attractive, anyway.

Technically, he was more youthful too. Being that he was created, not born, Dark wasn't the same age as Link. While he _looked_ like a sexy man in his flirty-thirties, he had actually only been alive for… seventeen or eighteen years? He was hardly older than Artemis.

Dark shook that thought away. He was much more mature, and grown up than his daughter, and regardless of when he was created, he was given the body and mind of an adult.

…Not that the forgiven demon didn't think that he could get the younger girls. Dark paused in his thoughts. Girls… Never boys. He never took a second look at a man walking down the street, or the well built knights that Link trained. He found himself attracted to women, occasionally, however he was _quite_ taken. He wondered though, if the curse he had cast on Link had actually _made _them fall in love. He had never been infatuated with a man before, and didn't look twice at them since.

He wondered if that meant he wasn't really homosexual, but just… Link-sexual. He shrugged it off. He loved Link. He wouldn't go for anyone else _anyway_ so it didn't matter if it was a man or woman.

"Daddy," Chloe started after their meal was completed, "Will you help me with something?"

Dark raised an eyebrow at the certain…ring of her voice. "Help you with what?" He asked, hoping nothing that would make him want to reconsider being the potential favorite parent.

"Um…" Chloe looked at Artemis, who was smiling. "All of my chores."

Dark laughed. "Excuse me? We pay you good money to _do_ those chores, Princess. Why should I do them for you, and pay you?"

"The man who wrote this book," She held up a thickly bound book, "Is here in town today. He's having a discussion tonight, and I really want to go. I really do!" She smiled, "But Papa said I couldn't go unless _all_ of my chores were done. That means my room, the kitchen, setting the table, _and_ cleaning out Apollo's house."

Apollo had a large dog house outside their home. Dark always argued for Chloe on that. Why, if Seth was the one who the dog spent all its time with, should Chloe have to clean up after it? Link, however, firmly reminded Dark that the puppy had been purchased for Chloe, making Apollo _her_ dog.

Dark rolled his eyes. "I'll _help_ you with your chores, Chloe," He started, "But I will not do them for you. Let's go home, and get a jump on that."

Artemis waved them off, saying that she would be home shortly. She had every intention to go see Link, and show off what Dark taught her that day.

After only a few moments though, she felt a gloved hand on her shoulder, and turned around. She was absolutely stunned into silence. Kale was staring down on her, his red hair pulled into a neat ponytail on the back of his neck, and the loose hair framing his face in the cold. She couldn't even find words.

Kale fought the emotions that were weaving through him. At first, he was so inspired to follow his father's orders that the two made up a plan of action over the past few months that was unstoppable. He was excited, planning to destroy the Hero of Time, destroy Dark Link that he was almost entirely on board with the plan — he didn't care _what_ happened to Artemis.

That was, until his eyes met hers. Then a new emotion drifted through him, and he felt guilty. He felt like, just seeing the hurt in her eyes, hurt left over from the first time he betrayed her, that he couldn't do it again. A familiar feeling washed over him, and he blushed as it dawned on him.

It didn't matter what she had done to him, or what he had done to her. He was still in love with her.

"K-Kale?" She asked, stepping back, "I-I need to g-go now." She began, starting leave.

"Wait," He called, doing what he knew was not only according to plan, but how he really felt, "I'm sorry."

She stopped. I'm sorry? Who took three months to say I'm sorry? She turned back to face him, her cheeks rosy from the frosty wind and her hair whipping around under her knit hat. She couldn't even think up a response.

Kale looked away, but quickly regained his gaze. "I was just freaking out." He continued, "I shouldn't have done what I did."

"Or lied to me." Artemis frowned, crossing her arms. "You lied about everything. You lied about knowing your father, you lied about your powers, you lied about who you really are…" She narrowed her eyes, imitating the most intimidating person she knew—her Papa. "And you're probably lying now too."

"I'm not." Kale whispered. This wasn't going right—she wasn't as stupid as Gannondorf had assumed. She wasn't going to fall for lies. In a normal case, he would just give up, but now he was about to resort to the secret weapon he didn't know he had—his real emotions. "…Okay, I am."

Artemis blinked in confusion, "You… are lying?"

"Yes, I'm not that sorry. I lied because I wanted you to like me, and after what I said to you about your parents, you probably lied for the same reason."

Artemis blushed, but could agree.

"So what I'm saying is I don't _care_ who your parents are. I don't _care_ who my parents are. I want to make this work, Arty." He blushed a lot, embarrassed about what was spewing out of his mouth. "I love you."

Artemis was once again, too stunned to speak. She didn't know what to say. I love you was a pretty strong sentence. Those were three words that would either make her day, or give her the worst discussion with her parents of her life.

"I…" She bit her lip, but felt him wrap his arms around her, his cold nose nuzzling into the side of her neck. She smiled. "I love you too, Kale."

…..

The Princess must not have cared that Seth was standing right there when she saw Link. She must have been worried, or in a rush, because she didn't send him out. She just sat down across from Link and started drilling him with questions before she used magic to heal him.

"You passed out?" She asked, and Link nodded, embarrassed that she was about to go down a doctor's check list right in front of Seth. She frowned. "Has this happened before?"

"I…" Link looked over at his son and Apollo, sitting across the room. "I guess I've been dizzy a lot lately." He frowned.

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "How long is lately?"

Link rolled his eyes. "I don't know, a couple weeks, a month maybe?" He was growing agitated with the Princess. He didn't like to look so fragile in front of Seth.

"So… with the dizziness," Zelda continued, "Have you been tired, sick, or… bloated?"

Link tried not to laugh. "I know where you're going with this, but that's not what's going on here." He cleared his throat, "I haven't been throwing up at _all_, and I'm not tired. Besides, I _never_ bloated." He smiled though, thinking back to what he had discussed with Dark in the field.

Zelda looked into Link's eyes, and then her irises turned bright pink as she peered through his mind and body, searching for any form of ailment. "As for the blood," She began, eyes still pink, "It looks like you must have taken a pretty good hit to your chest earlier today. I'm sensing it won't be a problem." Her eyes narrowed before she smiled, and they returned to their rightful color.

Seth had to admit, this was cool. The only times he had been sick enough to need a doctor he actually _went to a doctor_. He had no idea that using magic, like the Princess was, could be so much more accurate.

"That's not why you were dizzy though." Zelda added, looking into the mildly guilty eyes of Link. "And I think you knew about this before. Why wouldn't you tell me? Why wouldn't Dark have—oh." Zelda felt a smile cross her lips. "You didn't _tell_ Dark, did you? Did you think it would just go away?"

_Now_ Link felt nauseas. He _didn't_ tell Dark he was sick, because it _wasn't_ a big deal. He was sure of it, because he couldn't be… pregnant again. He didn't have _any_ of the same feelings he did with the other three, and he and Dark both had determined they didn't want one. He laughed, sheepishly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're not the same person you were back then," Zelda shook her head, "You can't expect your body to feel the same way."

It was like she could read his mind. He blushed a little, and then shook his head. "This is _not_ what you're thinking. We talked about it…" Link frowned, "And decided against it."

Seth was confused. He didn't know _what_ they were talking about, but he was worried. Was Link going to die? What would he do without his Papa? He pulled his knees to his chest and listened, fading into the background.

"Really," Zelda frowned, "Do you want to get into this? You think that when I use magic to ask _your body_ what is wrong with it, that it lies?"

Link was pale, but he stood up and disagreed. "I'm not saying that it lies, but I think you might have… I don't know misunderstood? This is not a good time. This is bad, and I don't think—wow." He sat back down, dizzy once more. "I can't do this right now." Link began, "Have you _seen_ those monsters? What if we need the master sword?"

Zelda snapped, "You know, you haven't been this disagreeable since the first time. Should I have Malon make you up a bed at the ranch, or are you going to act like an adult?"

Link flinched. Sure, he wasn't happy, but that was a low blow. "I'm very _happy_ with how the first time went. I just was scared, and…" He looked between the Princess and his confused son. "I'm scared again."

With a smile, Zelda gently helped the Hero to his feet. "You don't need to be afraid. You have your family to support you, and I will certainly have someone take over your job for the time being."

Seth blinked. Why couldn't Link do his job anymore? Apollo whined beside him, drawing Link's attention back to Seth.

"Um," Link frowned, then whispered to the princess, "Is there any way to… undo it?" He began, a little sadly. "Not just this one, but the whole curse? I don't think… This really isn't a good time. I told you about that boy, and the monsters, and… Dark doesn't have magic anymore, and I won't be able to defend anyone…"

Zelda widened her eyes. "You will most _certainly_ discuss this with Dark before I answer that, and before you decide on it. What you have been given may seem like a curse, but Link, people all over the world would give anything for what you have."

Link looked away.

Zelda frowned, "If this escalates, as you know it might, then the sages will come forward to help." She tried to be positive, but the way Link was acting really didn't seem appropriate. "Link," She smiled, "This is great news. You should be very happy. If you want my honesty, that curse should have worn off by now—since you've already lived quite a perfect family life. I could hardly find the remains of the black magic inside your body. This is it—last one, last chance."

Link blushed. This was really it? He couldn't do it again, even if they wanted to?

The Princess smiled. "Congratulations, Link. Give my regards to Dark."

Link nodded and with a little bit of a frown made his way to the door, only turning back to wave over Seth and Apollo.

As they made their way home, Seth looked up at Link. "Papa," He started, "What's going on?" At first Link had been frowning and blushing, but now Seth saw that he just had a big fat smile on his face. He was happy… so could he really be sick?

Link looked down at Seth and tried to hide his smile. Would this one be another girl, or a little boy like Seth? Who would it become? Would it be smart, like Chloe, or spunky like Artemis? If it was a boy, would he want to be a knight, the way Seth did, or would he want to be a doctor, or a construction worker, or something like that?

Or a girl. Would she be creative as Chloe and Artemis, as driven and self respecting, or would she want to be a traditional girl and let her life go its own way? Link smiled again. He didn't care either way.

"Papa?"

Link blinked back to reality, looking at Seth. It only took a moment of looking before he remembered all the reasons why he and Dark _didn't_ want another baby. Seth was almost thirteen. By the time the baby was his age, he would be twenty five or twenty six. It would be like it was an only child. Heck, Link would probably be a grandparent before the new baby was old enough to take care of itself.

He frowned deeply, remembering the discussion he had with Aryll and Komali in the temple of time, before they were sent home. Aryll lived _alone_ with her grandmother and brother. Artemis was her grandmother… But did she have any other family?

He had so many questions. Would Artemis be alone forever, or did Aryll just not _know_ her other family? Maybe they just lived far away..?

Link threw his head back. He wished he knew when or how this was going to happen—or even what would happen. He was scared again—he was afraid that the baby would be born during some kind of catastrophe, or that it would grow up in a world without… everything. Hyrule was so vast, so beautiful… Aryll and Komali both were taken aback by its beauty.

"PAPA!" Seth shouted, once again getting Link's attention.

"Baby." Link yelped, coming back to reality.

"Baby?" Seth was confused for all of a moment before his eyes went wide and he looked at Link again. "You're _having_ a baby?"

Link frowned. He probably should have told Dark first, but he was more curious how Seth would take that. He raised an eyebrow and looked at his blonde son. "Yes." He smiled. "I am. Are you okay with that?"

Seth turned red. "As if you can _undo_ it if I wasn't." He looked at the sort of heart-broken expression his statement put on Link's face, and frowned. "I didn't mean that I wasn't, though." He smiled and for the first time since he was about six, he took Link's hand.

Link smiled. Stupid things like that made him jump with happiness. He was such a woman.

"I'm happy for you Papa. Just don't forget that you still have to help me—I take my Knight Exam next weekend."

Link's face fell.

The Knight Exams were the tests that boys who wanted to become knights took. If they passed them—a test of basic swordsmanship—they would then be given the opportunity to live in a dorm in the castle, and go through levels of training to become a knight.

Link was the final level of training—students who passed his test were considered worthy to be members of Hyrule's Royal Guard.

Seth would without a doubt pass his exam, and move into the dorms, but then he would just be gone. The students lived at the castle—they didn't go out shopping or anything like that… they were treated like family. They only went home on holidays.

Just like that, with the coming of a new baby, another was leaving.

"I guess you probably shouldn't actually _spar_ with me anymore," Seth started, "But you can still_ tell_ me what to do."

Link nodded, coming up on the door and reaching for the knob. "Um, Seth," He looked down, but he had to admit it wasn't that necessary anymore. Seth was getting taller by the day, and it seemed like at the rate he was going at, he would be taller than Link soon.

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell your Daddy." Link whispered, "About the baby thing. Okay? Or your sisters. I want to tell them. You just pretend like you don't know, and act surprised when I tell you."

Seth shrugged. "Will Dad get angry at me?"

"If you lie good enough, he'll never know you were lying." Link smiled and opened the door for him, then his face twisted into a gasp. "Oh shoot! Today I was going to start you on a real sword." He looked down at Seth with a roll of the eyes. "Tomorrow you and I will go get it."

"Sure." Seth smiled, "Is it at the castle?"

Link raised both of his brows. "Seth," He smirked, "Do you think that any son of mine's first sword is going to be a hand-me-down? We're going to the blacksmiths, to have one made for you."

Seth's eyes grew big. "You're joking."

Link shook his head. "It won't take too long to make." Link smiled, "But you might have to practice with an old one until its ready. You might even have to take your test with an old one." Link took the strap of the sword that was on his back, and lifted it over his head. "Perhaps, mine?"

Seth took Link's sword and grinned. "This is awesome! You're the best, Papa!" He beamed before running off to play with the sword.

Link snickered. "Yeah, I know," He said to Apollo. "I'm the favorite."


	5. We're getting too old for this

_This chapter is going to have a mild, not fully blown, 'romantic' moment in it between Link and Dark. It's probably not going to be anything too crazy but just in case I want to remind people that:_

_THIS STORY CONTAINS YAOI. THIS STORY CONTAINS MPREG. THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A MILDLY ROMANTIC SCENE, WHICH WILL NOT CROSS THE BORDER INTO SEX, OR EVEN INTO THOROUGH MAKING OUT, BUT WILL TRY ITS VERY HARDEST. PLEASE DO NOT BE OFFENDED BY IT, OR DO NOT READ IT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION, AND FOR READING MY ALL-CAPS MEMO._

_Mystical Gems: I still love you. I want you back. As for Dark's powers? He's just a human now—unless Rauru, or some other magical person, gave him back his old body, the one made of magic, he'll be pretty human for a while. But you'll see what goes down—I think you'll like it._

…

Link entered the house and felt lonely, not sensing that anyone was in it with him. He frowned and threw his bag on the couch before making his way up the stairs to look for any member of his family. He peeked in Chloe's room, but remembered her book discussion and rolled his eyes. The house _was_ pretty clean. She must have really wanted to go.

He knew Seth was outside, throwing around the weight of the big sword. It was good that he was practicing—that made Link's job easier the next day if he didn't have to teach him how to hold it. Then he looked in Artemis's room. She wasn't in there, but through the glass door he saw that Dark was on her balcony.

He opened the door and re-entered the chilly air. Dark turned his gaze for just a moment, to face him, but then looked back over the ledge.

"What are you doing out here?" Link asked, remaining by the door. Dark frowned.

"Do you think Artemis can take care of herself? Do you think she can make grown up decisions on her own?" Dark thought, then added "…Correctly?"

Link raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Dark pointed over the balcony, and Link followed his finger. He was pointing out over Hyrule Field, where Artemis was sitting and talking with a boy. No, wait… there was a kiss. It wasn't until the boy turned his head that Link saw he had pretty bright red hair.

"Oh…" Link bit his lip and adjusted his coat. "That's… Kale, isn't it?"

"He's a bad kid." Dark muttered, staring harder—as if just his mortal gaze could burn a hole inside the boy.

Link shrugged, "Sure, he freaked out on us, but we don't know him. Artemis thought the way he acted was bizarre. Maybe it was just a nervous reaction. I mean… Look at them. They look so happy."

Dark frowned. "Link, he's Gannondorf's son."

"But Gannon is gone—he didn't raise him. He didn't get the chance to make him a bad person. You just have to give him a chance. Missy looks so happy."

Dark shook his head. "I won't trust him. Besides, he called me a demon. I don't think he knows that I'm human—and how would he know I was a demon if he wasn't speaking with his father. This is stupid, I just can't trust him."

"Neither will I," Link smiled, "For now, but give him a chance to prove that you _can_ trust him." Link cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, hoping to get Artemis's attention. "ARTEMIS! COME HOME!"

Artemis turned and saw him, waved, and began walking, with Kale, towards the house. Dark threw his arms up. "You're really just going to let her bring him here? This is our home!"

Link nodded. "There are worse things in life than giving a teenager that your daughter is smitten with a second chance."

"Yeah," Dark groaned, "Getting killed by him. This is probably on the list of worst days ever." He opened the door and let Link in. "I'm going to go start dinner."

"You're going to cook?" Link asked, a little surprised. He watched as a devious smile crossed over his lover's face.

"Yeah," Dark pointed, "If he's going to be here, especially. I don't want him to think Artemis has any 'good cooking' genes in her."

Link smiled, and followed his lover into the kitchen and giving him a soft pat on the back. "Dark…" He couldn't even pretend to be unhappy, with the news he had to give the demon. He would turn that 'worst day ever' right around.

"Great," Dark groaned, "We're out of wood for the fire." He pulled on his coat, and made to storm out. Link grabbed his arm, and even clung to it a little.

Dark smirked a little. Link rarely ever showed affection by doing anything that looked like a cuddle, and the taller strongly enjoyed it. "I'll come with you," Link said happily. Dark rolled his eyes.

"If you want to go so bad, you do it while I start the stew. Then we'll just have to put it on the fire." Dark offered, removing his coat.

"Oh… Okay." Link frowned. He had wanted to talk to the ex-demon, but he just shrugged it off. Whatever. Link could just hide the whole pregnancy. He had already hidden two and a half months of it. He didn't need to talk. That was stupid. As he made his way out the door he smiled though. He would even cut wood to make Dark happy—and he would be happy to guilt trip him about how he made his pregnant hero cut the wood, later.

…

Once again Link reminded himself why he _hated_ winter, and pulled the scarf up around his nose. The cold was _stupid_. It killed plants, it made it hard to grow food, and it bothered the Hero of Time, which was reason enough to eliminate the season, in Link's opinion. He reached up to touch his stomach, but it wasn't warm at all. Zelda hadn't cast any spell on him to make it that way since the first baby, but now he wished she had.

Not only because he missed the hand-warming sensation, but also because she was right. He didn't feel at all the way he had with his previous children. He wasn't nauseas at all, and was hardly tired. He felt absolutely normal.

That scared him. He wanted to _know_ that the baby was there, know that it was alive and doing well. But he supposed that in just another month or so his stomach would become distended enough that it would be obvious.

With a sudden wonder, he pulled up the front of his clothes and looked at his small tummy. It already was beginning to swell, and pull into the size of almost an upturned soup bowl. He rested his hand on it momentarily, feeling the way it filled out the curve of his palm. Why had he not noticed this earlier? Even if he was in denial about his dizziness, he should have seen other signs. He _was_ hungry more often now, and as his hand was now discovering, his stomach had expanded. He wondered if Dark had noticed his stomach.

That was usually Dark's favorite part of the babies—getting to hold Link around his stomach with the excuse that it wasn't cuddling, it was protecting. Link wondered if maybe Dark had already known, or if he just thought the hero was gaining some weight. _As if I would let myself get fat._

He replaced his clothing where it belonged, removed his hand from his belly, and dragged the axe on the ground behind him, grumbling. He hated the winter, but he _really_ hated cutting wood. He never did it. It was Seth's job… Why hadn't he done it yet? Link should have waited to give him the sword until after he knew the chores were done.

But to be the favorite? That was worth it. He smiled to himself a little, even in the middle of his nature hating, and brought up the Axe to chop the first block of wood.

This was the most boring chore there was, and it was painful too. Splinters went everywhere, the axe handle was cheap and unfinished, the blade of the axe wanted to come off its post and you had to push it back in place every other swing, the wood didn't want to cut as easily in the winter, and there were probably other things that the hero could complain about.

Complaining was one of his strong suits. It was his second best talent, past yelling or fighting. He was good at that too, and over the last fifteen years he had almost _mastered_ it. Who needed a sword? He could take someone out with a cold stare.

Artemis could do it too, and sometimes he even caught it from Seth. They could stare you into oblivion. Missy had the added benefit of being a woman too—she could stare you into oblivion and make and make _you_ feel guilty about it.

Link was so lost in thoughts that he didn't hear the footsteps of someone coming up behind them until they pulled back on his shoulder. He gasped and turned, only to see Seth staring at him with a little confusion. Link caught his breath. "You scared me!"

"What are you doing?" Seth asked, the cold making his nose red. Link was a little out of breath from the action of swinging the axe a few times, and the cold air was burning his lungs a little.

"I'm getting firewood," Link stretched his back out and rested his hands on his lower back and resuming regular breathing while staring at the stack, "Do you see how they're all neat and uniform in size—that's what you're supposed to do next time I pay you do to your chores." He rolled his eyes and looked back down, then resumed swinging.

"…" Seth was silent for a minute, and then asked "Is that bad for the baby? Should you really be doing that, Papa?"

Link fell silent, and looked at Seth in surprise. What a genuinely kind thing to say. He was worried, and this time not just about Link dying, but just about his and the baby's well being. His children had never been old enough to understand pregnancy before—the only one who came close was the four year old Missy, and she didn't get it. The blonde hero smiled and shook his head. "No, I shouldn't, but we needed wood and your Dad was having a bad day."

Seth frowned and then reached to take the axe. "I'll do it—it's my job anyway."

There was nothing more that Link wanted to hear from the boy. He dumped the axe in his hands and ruffled Seth's hair. "You're a great kid." He smiled, "Now I'm going to sit here and watch you, so that I can bring the wood up and take the credit."

Seth raised an eyebrow, mocking the appearance of Link, and laughed.

Seth looked _just_ like Link. There was no doubting it; he had the same dirty blonde hair, however slightly longer, that framed his face and the same sky blue eyes. He was the spitting image of the hero, and he had a similar personality as well. Seth wouldn't let a misdeed happen if he could stop it—which was probably why he was here to take over the wood cutting. He probably felt pretty guilty letting Link do his work for him, especially since he had been hurt earlier.

"What if you take the credit for chopping it, but I take the credit for carrying it? That way you don't have to carry it up the hill." Seth looked up the hill and then continued chopping. Only a few more minutes and the chore would be complete.

Link nodded. "Yeah, I guess that would be nice." He felt really _proud _of Seth, for being so considerate. He had expected the boy to get upset about the whole situation—to be a little grossed out even. It felt really nice to know that his son cared about his feelings and health. He hoped that the girls would be that considerate too.

…

Link and Seth arrived back to the house shortly after Artemis did. When the blonde entered the room, he observed Dark frowning and Artemis glaring, and Kale standing in the background in silence.

That was a _very_ uncomfortable environment to walk into. Link rolled his eyes before taking the wood from Seth and dumping it into Dark's arms. "Go make a fire." He whispered, "Be a good boy, maybe you'll get a reward."

Dark didn't seem too enthused, but he exited the room. Link stepped forward to Kale, and once again put out his hand to him.

Kale stared at it for a moment, before reaching out. Just before he took it, Link pulled his own hand back and said "Kale, right? You hurt my family once. If you shake my hand right now, you're telling me that I can trust you not to do it again." His voice was stern, but non-judgmental. He put his hand back out for Kale to take.

"Thank you, sir." Kale smiled, "about before, I want to apologize."

Dark peeked out from the kitchen, where he was starting the stew on the fire.

"I was always picked on as a child, because I was different," He began, staring at Link. "Looking the way I do, the people of Hyrule didn't treat me the same, and the Gerudo wouldn't accept me because I wasn't born by one of them."

Link nodded, in total understanding. He had his fair share of being picked on by Mido when he was young.

"When I grew up, people expected things of me, my mother did, and the people who knew my father expected things too." He frowned, "Everyone had this idea in their head that I was going to be someone who I didn't want to be. I have no idea who I am."

Dark scoffed. This was so stupid. Link, however, wanted to pour out compassion for the boy. That was _exactly_ what happened to him. He smiled.

"You don't have to be sorry—you just have to prove you're more than what people expect."

Artemis smiled from the distance, and silently thanked her Papa.

…

That night after dinner, Dark sat in anger on the foot of the bed. "He's lying." The man muttered, looking over at Link. "He's lying to you, especially."

Link raised an eyebrow and leaned in the doorway. "Are you kidding me?" He groaned, "You need to have more faith in this kid. What if he's not lying at all?"

"He sounds like he had a _script_. I mean, he basically told your life story and expected your pity." Dark threw himself back onto the bed. "And you're totally falling for it."

Link smiled. "Trust people." The blonde closed the door and turned its lock, and made his way to the bed.

"You gave him Seth's room. You're making Artemis and Chloe share, so Seth can have Chloe's room. You're letting him _sleep _here."

"Dark," Link smiled pulling off his sweater, revealing just an undershirt. His eyes were half-closed in a romantic sort of way, and he just grinned, "I did that on purpose. Now, if Kale were to want some dirty teenage action, he would have to sneak past Seth, _and_ Chloe, to get to Artemis. Same goes for Missy—we have two tattle tales between those young and in lovers."

Dark smiled and watched as Link pulled himself towards him. After a moment the blonde fell on his side next to Dark and cupped his chin, pulling him into a gentle kiss. "Relax," He smiled, kissing him once more, "Your horrible day is over."

Dark smiled and pulled his little hero into another kiss, wrapping his arms around his waist and rolling on top of him. He reached down and pulled the undershirt over the Hero's head, leaning down and kissing his neck. "Or maybe my great night is just beginning."

Link ran his fingers through Dark's hair and carefully pulled his glasses off. Dark paled. "Was I wearing those all day?"

Link let out a chuckle. Now Dark would feel like he wasn't intimidating enough in front of Kale, with his glasses hiding his glare. But before Link could make fun of him, Dark had shrugged it off and was moving down to kiss down Link's chest.

It wasn't until Dark planted his kisses on Link's stomach that the Hero came out of his sexual trance. "D-Dark," He frowned, sitting up a little.

Dark sat up as well, planting himself on Link's legs. "What?"

Link didn't even know how he would say this. He looked at the little curve of his stomach and wondered once more if Dark already knew. But if he did, he surely wouldn't have made Link cut the wood, or even let him work. Dark was very protective of Link when he was pregnant.

Dark was also very big on a healthy diet, which Link was not looking forward too. He was happy with his sweets and cakes—they were the only things that let him forget how much he hated… people. Not all people, but just people in general. People who thought they knew everything. Link was the only one who knew everything.

"Do you think I've gained weight?"

Dark raised an eyebrow and gazed down at his lover. "This is a trick question, Hero. Which answer gets me sex?"

Link tried not to laugh. "Not that one."

Dark shrugged and moved to look at Link. "Are you worried you're getting fat?" He reached down and traced a finger along Link's belly. "This isn't fat, this is just all the sweets you've been eating for the holidays. It'll be gone by spring."

Link tried to fight the glare that he felt coming on. "Oh, so you _do_ think I'm gaining weight?" He really didn't want to fight with Dark, so he tried to focus on the fact that he was supposed to be proving that point. He _was_ gaining weight, which was why he had brought it up.

Dark didn't say anything, which was probably the smart move. Link felt him tracing his finger around n his stomach still, and so he pressed down Dark's palm onto the same bump that he himself had been feeling earlier.

"Pretty round, don't you think?" He smiled, but Dark raised an eyebrow.

"Link, I don't think you're round. You're just talking yourself into thinking your fat, because you got some idea in your head. Was it Artemis? Don't take her advice on weight; I'm convinced she throws up after she eats."

A laugh echoed through the room and Link pushed Dark's palm down harder. "Dark, I'm _not_ fat, though thank you for your words of confidence." He once again fought the glare. "I'm having another baby."

Dark pulled his hand back rather quickly and paled. His voice was shaky and he half-laughed. "You what?"

Link sat up further, and Dark moved off of him. "Another baby, Dark. I passed out today, so I went to see…"

"You passed out?" Dark breathed in sharply, moving his focus from the bump under Link's stomach to his face, "And didn't tell me?"

"I'm telling you now, Dark." Link tried to hide the worry in his voice. Dark had never reacted like this before—he was always happy in the past, not panicky. "Anyway, Zelda told me that your curse is probably going to be gone after this, and… What are you doing?"

"Going for a walk," Dark muttered, pulling on his shoes and heading for the door.

"Wait, why?" Link started to reach for his hand, but Dark was already out of sight. He frowned. What the hell was that about? Sure, they had talked themselves out of a baby, but now that it was final why shouldn't Dark be happy about it? In a wave of anger he got to his feet, pulled on his sweater, and slipped into a pair of shoes.

Dark was already out the back door before Link got down the stairs, but the blonde fumed after him in frustration, slamming the door as he exited. "DARK!" He shouted, catching the attention of his lover. "What the hell?"

Dark ignored the question and continued walking towards town in silence next to Link. Dark was equipped with a heavy coat and a hat, but Link had really just left in a sweater and jeans, and he was instantly regretful. However, it would be against his pride to go back to get a coat, so he just wrapped his arms around himself and followed the demon.

"What are you following me for?" Dark frowned, looking over at Link after a few minutes of walking. He felt a little guilty, seeing how pale Link looked, and how red his nose had gotten in a matter of minutes.

"Dark… I told you I was pregnant and you stormed out."

Dark stopped walking. He had been expecting some sort of anger out of Link, but he just heard the sound of tears in Link's voice. Link wouldn't cry unless he was in the privacy of his home, in most cases, but Dark could always tell when he was so upset that he was fighting tears. He turned around to face Link, and pulled him into a hug.

Link was confused, but was grateful for the warmth and the compassion. He wrapped his arms around Dark's neck and realized he was losing the battle with his tears. Why did hugs always make him want to cry more?

Dark kissed the side of Link's neck and then stepped back from him. "Link, I'm sorry. It just shocked me. We just spent all this time talking about why it was such a bad idea, and how we would be too old. I mean, remember? Whenever you go to a meeting at the school house, you'd be the oldest one there?"

Link crossed his arms. "I know that's what we said, but that was when we thought I wasn't going to have a baby, and we were talking ourselves out of it. I can think of a thousand reasons why we _should_ have another baby… starting with: we are."

Dark smiled a little at that. There Link was again, making jokes at inappropriate times.

Link uncrossed his arms and reached out to take Dark's hand. "Did you really think that storming out was going to change that?"

Dark should have seen it before. He wasn't upset that Link was having another baby, he was upset that he hadn't seen it sooner. Link was doing that… loving thing he only did when he was pregnant. He was talking calmly, thinking rationally… He was worried about stressing people out, and he was really compassionate.

As for his stomach… Dark had noticed it had grown a little, but he didn't think anything of it. He wasn't going to mention it, for fear of his life.

"Dark?"

"I love you, Link." Dark saw that the statement put a smile on his hero's face. "I'm sorry."

Link squeezed Dark's hand tighter. "I'm scared too, you know. I mean… I'm almost three months pregnant, Dark. I had no _idea_."

Dark nodded. "You used to throw up all the time."

Link smirked. "Well, yes, and I don't miss that, but Dark… It's not the same at all. I thought I was totally fine, and it turns out I wasn't. I mean, if Seth hadn't seen me cough up—er—look pale… he wouldn't have made me go see… Zelda…"

Dark frowned. "What did you cough up?"

"It was more of a spit than a cough." Link frowned, remembering the feeling.

The wind blew and Dark felt like it went right through him. He shivered and then remembered the state of no coat that Link was in.

"I don't want to know if it was blood, anyway," Dark added, "If you're fine, at least. Zelda did say you were fine, right? You and the baby?" While he questioned Link, he peeled off his coat and wrapped it around Link's shoulders.

The blonde smiled at him, thankful for the warmth. "I'm fine." He slipped his arms through the sleeves and Dark took his hand.

"Let's go home," Dark kissed Link's forehead, "And I'll make you some hot tea."

Link smiled, but then it turned into a frown. "You don't really think I'm fat around the holidays, though, right? Sure, I might eat a little more, and maybe gain a few pounds, but seriously… Fat?"

Dark chuckled. "I said it before, and I'll say it again. I wanted sex."

Link smirked. "Well… you cook again in the morning and I'll let you have whatever you want."

Dark scooped Link into his arms and broke into a run, losing his hat along the way.

…..


	6. The Call To Power

"No, Seth," Link frowned, pulling his coat around him tightly, "Listen…" Today they were doing their first training with Seth on a real sword, and for the most part it was going beautifully. There were only a few posture problems, that Link could see.

Most of the boys going in for exams had been training with a real sword for years, if not forever. A lot of the men around town wondered why Link waited so long to put his son on one. The honest answer was grace.

Link had never used a sword before in his life when he picked up the master sword, and he was very clumsy with it. Eventually he developed his skills, and with a few more years came his grace. Now he was _known_ for the beauty with which he could handle a blade.

He wanted his son to live up to that, to have the same technique that made his Papa so great. He knew, if he wanted that to happen, it would be key to show him the grace, teach him the beauty of swordsmanship, before he actually gave him a sword.

Was a week cutting it too close to exams? Perhaps—but Link was confident that if _anyone_ could ace those exams it was his son. No one had ever gotten perfect score before, besides of course the instructors who created it, and Link knew Seth could.

"You can't just _forget_ everything you learned because you have a new sword in your hand." Link continued. He crossed the field to Seth and gave a sharp tug on his coat collar, pulling him back a little bit.

Seth's knees were bent just a little and his feet were in a modified second position, shoulder width apart. Thanks to Link his spine was strait, and he had the sword pointed to the ground in front of him.

"This is harder to balance," Seth muttered. The sword was heavier than his practice blade, and so he could hardly hold himself up straight.

"I know," Link frowned, "But you have to remember to keep your center of gravity in a straight line. If you lean forward you'll fall easily. Keep your back in line with your heels."

Seth nodded and continued his train of attack. Link couldn't really spar with him, so he did the next best thing—took him out into the field.

Both Dark and Seth had protested to this. Hyrule field was _full_ of monsters now. There were Stalfos, ReDead that didn't die in the light, and Poe. Dark was very upset. He didn't think it was safe to go out there in general, but especially with Link expecting a baby.

"_Link, seriously? Yesterday you were complaining that I made you chop wood when you were pregnant, today you just expect me to sit back and let you walk yourself into the arms of a Stalfos? Those guys are strong!"_

But Link had convinced him quicker than he convinced Seth. Seth was really worried with Link's excuse. The Hero said that they wanted the Stalfos, to train Seth, and that he would keep them safe.

Seth was worried that he would let Link down, and end up letting him get hurt. Then not only would his Papa be disappointed in him for not winning, but Dark would be disappointed in him for putting the baby in danger.

"_Guys," _Link had said, in response to both of them, _"Do you see this back up sword strapped on my back? If the monsters get out of hand I'll jump into action. Just because it can't repel evil doesn't mean I can't use it."_

With the next monster that made its way over to them, Seth swung right for it. It was a ReDead, and it was remarkably fast. Link had even noticed that. Why was it moving at the speed of sound? Most of them were very slow.

Seth bit his lip and thought about all the things Link had trained him to do in a fight. Stay balanced, think on your toes, remember the difference between attacking and defending, use your shield… Those thoughts faded away when his shield was knocked off his arm.

The metal twisted around his arm and Seth yelped as he heard a crack.

Link heard it too, and the scream that followed as Seth fell back a few feet into the dirt. The ReDead immediately jumped on the boy, and Link broke into a sprint.

It didn't matter to Link _what_ he might be risking by getting worked up. He wasn't worried that using a sword at this point would hurt his new baby—he scaled a wall the night that Artemis was born and she was fine. He was worried that the baby he already had was going to get eaten by a ReDead.

"Seth, move," Link shouted as he threw his own weight into the monster, knocking it clear of Seth. The younger gasped and scrambled to his feet, quickly picking up his sword.

What if Link was hurt? Seth watched for a moment as three more ReDeads ran over at supersonic speeds. He saw Link draw his sword and begin to execute his graceful attacks.

"Papa, let's just run!" Seth shouted, but Link didn't listen. He turned to face Seth though, to try.

"What did you just say?" He gasped, but was jumped on one of the beasts. Seth ran over with his sword and in the blink of an eye sliced the monster in two. Link gasped as the other two surviving zombies jumped the boy, biting at him. Seth pushed them off with his shoulder and sliced at one, while Link tugged the other off and disposed of it. When the field was empty but the two of them again, Link tried to catch his breath.

He held one hand on his small stomach and the other on his heart, and watched his breath form in puffs in the cold air. Seth looked from his Papa to his own left hand, the one that had once been holding the shield. Of all of the children Link and Dark had, only Artemis was left handed.

It was mangled. The metal loop that was around it had bruised it, and that crack they had heard wasn't the shield.

Link followed Seth's gaze and gasped at the boy's arm. "Seth, are you alright?" He asked, still breathing heavy but willing to let that slide. He took hold of Seth's arm above the bruising and gasped, seeing two large bumps in his arm. "It's broken," He breathed, remembering when Artemis broke her wrist. This was much worse, Link could see the two pieces of bone trying to pop out. Seth winced.

Link pulled a potion out of his coat pocket.

Seth made a face. "Papa, I won't-!" He gasped when Link forced the bottle into his mouth and tipped it up, almost choking.

"Don't Papa me, Seth. You have to drink this. I don't even think it will _work_ on a broken bone, but you have your exams this weekend and you can't be hurt."

Seth ripped the emptied vial out of his mouth and stared at Link in surprise. "Papa, you're bleeding!" Seth whined, pointing to a small circular bite mark on Link's neck that was oozing.

Link touched it softly. "There's more potion at home."

"That's going to leave a scar," Seth frowned, seeing that his arm wasn't at all healed and he had to drink the nasty medicine anyway.

"So what?" Link picked up the ruined Hylian shield that Seth had been using, "It's fine. I'll just have a hickey-shaped scar on my neck for eternity." He smiled. "Let's get you to the doctor. Maybe if we get it wrapped up now it will feel better by this evening. Maybe you'll still be able to train.

Seth nodded and followed Link into town.

…

Dark had been pretty irritated when Artemis asked him if she could go to the festival that weekend with Kale. He of course said he didn't care, because Link would beat him into a pulp if he refused his daughter something that he was attending himself.

The festival was mostly built around the exams. You could see the boys trying out if you wanted, or you could visit all of the fun booths and attractions. The games were pricey, but it was all kinds of fun.

Usually Link and Dark paid the kids a little extra for their chores the week of the festival. It wasn't like they had any money issues with the hero working for the princess.

What had almost infuriated Dark was when he entered the living room and there, sitting on _his_ couch in _his_ home kissing _his_ daughter was Kale—gently moving his eighteen-and-horny hand up Artemis's thigh. But he remembered again what Link said about giving people chances and just cleared his throat.

Missy jumped back, but Kale just smirked at Dark.

That bothered the ex-demon.

Then it happened—the back breaker—Kale was washing dishes and folding laundry—the only chores that Link usually did. He frowned.

"Did you need something?" He asked, indicating to the clean kitchen. Kale shook his head.

"Artemis just was so busy doing her chores that I thought I would try to help out. She told me that Link usually did this, but since he's training today I decided I could do it—so he won't have to." Kale smiled and put the last towel down.

"I see." Dark frowned again. The dishes had piled up, and the towels hadn't been folded since they were purchased… no one ever organized the kitchen. He was impressed. He smiled a little. Link was right—he wasn't all bad. The demon grinned. "Wait here."

He made his way up the stairs and into his wallet. Link would be proud of him, coming down the stairs with both the money for Missy's allowance, and also an equal number of rupees for Kale.

Once the money was distributed, he heard the front door to the home open up, and saw a bandaged up Seth come in with Link, who had a smaller bandage around his neck.

"What happened?" He gasped, looking over the two of them in surprise.

Link shrugged. "We got hurt. You were right."

"I broke my arm." Seth frowned, "Now I'll fail my knight exams."

Link squeezed Seth's shoulder gently. "You can get in next year, Seth. Don't worry."

…

The festival was fantastic. There were games everywhere, crowds cheering for the knight exams, and performers and attractions. Dark pulled his coat up around his neck and snaked his arm around Link's waist.

Link, of course, batted it away because they were in public. Link hardly wanted to be in public, now that he knew he was pregnant, because he was worried that everyone would notice. Dark just laughed at him and reminded him that _he_ hadn't even noticed. There was no way that anyone else would.

So he tried to wrap his arm around Link again.

"Dark, stop it. We're in the middle of town." Link muttered, admiring a woman dancing in a sheer dress.

"But the whole town _knows_."

"I don't like to think they do." Link smiled, stepping away from his shadow. "Look at this." He was looking at story books that told the 'legend' of the Hero of Time. He picked one up and flipped through the pictures. "This is hilarious."

"Hey," The salesman growled, "I wrote those myself and they are historically accurate, down to every detail."

Link raised an eyebrow and pointed to the picture. "This says the Hero's name was Bernie. His name is _not_ Bernie."

"Oh, and how would you know? Where _you_ the Hero of Time?"

Dark snickered and waited for Link's answer.

"Of… of course not." Link smiled, looking at the pages again. "I uh… I guess I should go."

The man raised an eyebrow at him while Link pulled his green jacket around him tighter. Then he looked down at the tunic in his artwork. He smiled widely. "You _are_ the Hero of Time." He grinned and Link raised his eyes.

"I… what?"

"You know, I met you. You were young, and I was a knight. I retired, to be an artist, but you were the one who brought me that mask for my son."

Link sort of remembered purchasing the mask for the soldier at the gate. He smiled.

"I remember you." The retired soldier laughed again. "I heard you left Hyrule, but you never did. You're the one training the knights aren't you?"

Link nodded, and became suddenly aware of Dark's arm around him.

The soldier didn't stop smiling, a silent way of saying he didn't care about his hero's sexuality. Then his eyes widened, "Oh! Your boy is the one going up next for his exam, right?"

Dark raised an eyebrow. "What? No…"

"He broke his arm." Link shook his head, "He had to drop out of the exams."

The salesman straightened up his books and disagreed. "No, Seth, the left handed boy—he's up next. His time was set to start now, so he could even be fighting."

"You don't understand," Link began, fighting a chill, "Seth isn't participating, regardless of the times, because he's hurt."

"Well, you should have told that to him before he got all suited up. I saw him pass by with the rest of the boys earlier."

Link looked up at Dark with a little panic. "He's going to get hurt, he can't defend." He looked back at the man and bowed, "Thank you, sir!" He then took Dark's hand and ran ahead to the events.

"Link!" Dark gasped through his running, "You shouldn't be moving so fast, it's bad for the baby!"

"Yeah right," Link groaned, dashing ahead. They came up on the crowd and he choked a little on the cold air. He was winded, but Dark was downright gasping.

"I'm… too old… to be running around," The ex-demon muttered. Link winked at him.

"If you're not too old to raise another baby, then you're not too old to run."

Dark groaned. "I am too old to raise another baby. You do that, and I'll raise the teenager. I'm getting pretty good at yelling anyway."

"Look, look!" Link cupped his stomach and ran forward, Dark on his heels. "There he is, he's sparring with the examiner!"

Dark smiled a little, even though he was worried about Seth. Sure, Seth couldn't use his shield because of his broken arm, but that didn't stop him from getting up there and holding the shield, pretending he was okay. That didn't stop him from doing what he felt he needed to do, what he wanted to do.

He was very certainly Link's son.

Link felt the familiar feeling of Dark's arm around his waist again, but this time he didn't knock it off. He just looked up at the raised platform His son sword-fighting on and cupped his hands to his cheeks.

"You can do it Seth!" He shouted, getting the momentary attention of his son. Seth grinned at his parents and continued his sparring.

The goal of this fight was to last as long as you could against the instructor before he could get in three hits. If you wanted to pass your exam you had to get in 150 hits. A ref would count each hit as it happened. Any hit that the instructor bounced off your shield was considered defensive—the only way to really win was to defend.

The ref called out 146, and Link could feel his heart beating faster. Seth was going to make it—without using his shield. He only had one more strike before he would be out of the running. It was going to be close. Dark held Link tighter in anticipation.

Seth got in another hit, 147, and saw the attack coming up. He gasped, rolling to the side in a parry, but his line of vision gave it away. The instructor turned and brought up his spear to hit Seth.

"Oh Din," Link bit his lip, remembering his training with Seth. That boy _always_ used a parry. Just as Link thought it was over, Seth brought up his shield and deflected the blow while making one of his own. 148.

Dark breathed heavily as he saw the sweat break out on Seth's brow. He must have been in a lot of pain, having that hard of a blow bounce off of his broken arm. Seth jumped to his feet and got in another hit as the Instructor spun around. 149.

Seth went in for the final hit, but the instructor countered and the blonde was in a very dire position. He raised his shield and took the entire blunt of the blow on his right arm. He got in his final hit at the same time as the impact, and the ref called out. "PASS!"

Then the scream rang out, and Link gasped, jumping up on stage. The instructor raised an eyebrow, and Link and he both knelt by Seth.

"What's wrong?" The instructor, an elder named Bo, began.

Seth cradled his arm and Link tried to slide the shield off, but looked at Bo. He had worked with Bo for years, and had even sparred with him many times. He bit his lip. "Seth wasn't supposed to take the exams," he began, but Seth shrieked at him.

"Papa!" He yelped, "You'll get me disqualified!"

"Why, why wasn't he allowed to take them?" Bo asked, horrified at how the boy was resisting Link.

"His arm is broken, the doctor said no sparring, and…" Link paled and thought he would vomit. Seth's arm was entirely bruised and one of the two pieces of bone was peeking through his skin.

Bo gasped, "Doctor!" He called, awaiting the assistance of the town's doctor.

Seth was embarrassed to be crying, but he was worried. He looked at Bo. "Does this mean I can't be a knight, sir?"

Bo smiled. "The way I see it, youngster, you deserve to be a knight more than anyone else. You have shown bravery, even in the face of injury. Now I will see you in a few days, when it is time to move into the dorms."

Seth smiled and rose to his feet to follow the doctor.

…

"Where are we going, the festival is that way!" Artemis whined, clinging to Kale's arm. "We're missing all the fun!"

Kale frowned deeply, but turned to face her. "I love you, Arty." He began. She blushed a few shades of pink and then agreed.

"I love you too." She began, "Can we go to the festival?"

"Arty, I'm sorry. We can't." He raised up his arms and a magical force held her in place. Her eyes widened and she looked around wildly.

"What are you doing?"

"My father has threatened the land again, and if I don't do as he says he'll kill me." Kale began, looking down. "You're the only person with enough power to open the seal that is keeping him from his freedom."

Artemis gasped. "You're joking, right? Kale, if you don't break the seal he can't kill you!"

Kale considered that, but shrugged. "You know, he would get out eventually anyway. Nothing can contain someone that evil. Now just be agreeable and let me take over your powers and mind."

Artemis narrowed her eyes. She could be _just_ as intimidating as Link, even with her happy appearance. "You said you loved me."

"I do." Kale frowned. "I love you a lot, Arty. I want to be with you forever, grow old with you."

Artemis breathed deeply. "Then do it. Put me down, we can do all that, Kale."

Kale shook his head. "Artemis, we can't. I have to think about my life, you see. Gannondorf will _kill me_."

"We can fight him together!"

"We'll lose!" Kale shouted. "He'll defeat us, and he'll kill your family. Link is _pregnant_. Gannon will kill that in the blink of an eye."

Artemis looked away, but noticed a blonde head in the bushes. It was Chloe! Her eyes widened and she shook her head.

Chloe stayed hidden, watching the story play out. She wanted to go get her Daddy and Papa, but she knew that if she left now she might never know what happened to Missy. She bit her lip and stayed silent.

"You understand, don't you?" Kale smiled, looking over Artemis. The demon scowled.

"Do what you want with me," She spat, "but you won't have my love."

Kale was trying to be strong, trying to do what his father told him. He wanted to just… do what he was told and get it over with. That voice stopped him. He felt a tug at his heart when he heard the coldness, the absolute lack of anything that was Artemis. He frowned.

"You'll have to forgive me." He whispered, bringing his hands together to form a black diamond. He stepped towards her and pressed it into her chest, causing her to shriek in pain.

It broke his heart as he watched her whole body pale and go limp. Suddenly it was shooting out light from all directions, and her head shot up.

Chloe gasped. Her eyes were red. Kale had made her into an _evil_ demon! She couldn't wait any longer, and she got to her feet and ran to her father.

…..

Zelda gasped as well, across the castle town, as a vision crossed in front of her eyes. Water, everywhere. People where dying, _her people_ were dying. She was dying. Tears filled the princess's eyes and she looked out over the crowds.

Evil was coming.

…


	7. A Trip Down Memory Lane

_I know last chapter had a mix up with Seth's hand, and what was what. Here I will be clearing it up: SETH is the only left handed of the children, not Artemis. I was distracted when I wrote that. _

_You might have noticed that the chapters in this story are a little shorter than the ones in the first—I've been doing that because I feel like I can cover more ground the way I'm going._

_Here are some pictures—they're pretty related to this chapter. They're also not all that great, but whatever. Remember, you have to take the spaces out of the links._

_http:/ bubbles-on-helium . deviantart . com /#/d3396jz_

_http:/ bubbles-on-helium . deviantart . com /#/d3396u9_

_http:/ bubbles-on-helium . deviantart . com /#/d339757_

…_._

Seth crossed his fingers and waited for the scores to be posted. Sure, he had won over the approval of Bo, but unless he passed his written test he still couldn't be a knight. He looked around. A lot of boys were gathered, waiting for the elder to post the scores. The minimum pass was 80. The test was about the history of swords, knights, weaponry, and Hyrule Castle. There were one hundred questions, each worth one point.

As for his arm—he was in all kinds of pain. After about three potions consecutively poured down his throat and even a _blue_ potion, his arm pulled back into its normal shape, but it was still broken. Now it was wrapped up tightly all the way to his elbow.

Link was watching him from a few feet away, pretending like he was angry that Seth went against his word and entered the exams when he was hurt. He deliberately disobeyed his parents, and he lied about it behind their backs.

Link smiled. He was too proud of his son to care. He really went above and beyond, even Bo thought so. He leaned on a fence and waited for the elder that had directed the written test to post the scores. He was positive that Seth would pass, being the kid he was. He rarely saw Seth's nose in a book, but he also rarely saw him fail a quiz.

Mysteriously, Dark had disappeared to go find Artemis. He said he felt… well, Link wasn't sure. The man just gasped and looked into the air, as if something had exploded, and ran off, saying he was going to check on Artemis and Chloe. That was when Seth was still being seen by the doctor.

Now he worried a little too, because he hadn't seen either of his daughters the whole festival, and while it was a large celebration it was usually small enough that you ran into everyone in town at least three times. He began to button up his coat when he felt a pair of hands on his arm.

He was surprised to see "Zelda"!

He looked into the eyes of the cloaked woman, once more outside the castle when she shouldn't be, and then down to her side. "You brought your daughter?" He asked, pointing angrily at the girl. "Did you tell anyone you were leaving?"

"Shh!" Zelda frowned, then kneeled next to her little blonde daughter. Her daughter was only a few years old, a little toddler in a fluffy dress, and she pointed to Dark, who was approaching slowly. "See him, honey? That man there, do you remember him?"

"Mr. Dark!" The girl giggled, her blonde curls bouncing.

Zelda and Link both smiled, then the princess continued. "Go there, to him, and tell him I asked him to win you a prize."

The girl, also named Zelda, as was a tradition in the royal family, nodded and bounded off. Then the Princess stood up and readdressed Link, once she saw her daughter was in Dark's confused arms.

She trusted Dark to take care of her daughter, because she was practically family with them. Link was with her when she met and married her husband. It was an arranged marriage on her father's part. He was a wonderful man, however it took some getting used to being a Queen. She had so little to do, now that she had a husband to take care of the kingdom.

Then, a few months after their daughter was born he was killed while away from the castle town, meeting with a recently discovered tribe of people living on the outskirts of Hyrule. None of the guards or servants that accompanied him returned either, but their caravan was found to have never made it to the tribe.

The lack of king is what made Zelda return to the title of princess, and ruling her kingdom on her own.

"Link, I've had a terrible vision." She began, "I think it is of the near future, but I can't be sure exactly how much time we have."

Link nodded and crossed his arms in front of him. Zelda bit her lip. "H-How is your baby?"

Link smiled when he thought about it. "It's different, you know? Now that I know what all the dizziness was, it seems like it's not happening as much. It's different, but it's exciting, especially with the kids we already have." He laughed a little, "Seth got really protective. I mean, he could be working for Dark. He's always asking what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. Artemis and Chloe are both excited too, I think. Chloe checked out a book from the library about making clothes even."

Zelda frowned lightly. "Link, you have to stay really calm when I tell you this, I don't want to upset you."

Link raised an eyebrow and stopped smiling. "What did you see that has you so shaken up?"

Zelda was hard to freak out. She had seen it all, so while she stood there with her cloak over her braided blonde hair and her long blue dress, Link was confused and worried.

"I saw…" She started to talk, but a massive cheer filled the air and cut her off. She turned to see the elder coming out with the scores, and post them on the wall. She bit her lip, seeing how excited Link was getting.

"I hope he did good," Link smiled, but Zelda cut him off.

"Link, I saw the end of Hyrule."

Link flinched a little bit, and his eyes widened. "What?"

"It starts with Gannondorf. Someone opens to door to the twilight realm, and lets him return to Hyrule. He destroys _everything_. People will die. Everyone." Her voice quivered and she covered her mouth for a moment. "Link… Do you remember Aryll and Komali?"

Link nodded, fighting the fear beating in his heart.

"They lived in the world that this flood creates. The mountain tops of Hyrule—they'll become islands. Some people will live. _Artemis_ will live. You remember, that was her grandmother?" Zelda had to admit, she felt guilty talking with this much knowledge about the future. Normally she would keep it to herself, but she couldn't now. She had to tell Link.

Link did remember. He remembered everything Aryll said about her world being an island.

"All I know for certain is that Lord Jabu Jabu will not turn the Zora into Rito until the very last minute. I have already contacted him and he has told me that he will be able to feel the rise in the water before it approaches Hyrule."

"Why will he turn them into Rito?" Link asked, entirely confused. The Zora were swimmers—why shouldn't they be okay?

"The Zora need land to survive. That is why their home is built with land. They need a balance of both. He will turn them into Rito to go find a new home to survive, probably on a mountain top." She bit her lip and looked around. "Link… almost everyone will die."

"We can stop it!" Link began, "We can fight Gannondorf. Besides, no one is powerful enough to open that world without the power of the sages."

Link peeked over at Seth again, wondering if he knew his score yet. Zelda narrowed her eyes.

"Link! Don't you understand? This is going to happen _soon_. Not in seven years like my last vision. This is going to be a crisis."

"Zelda, I…"

"Your new baby might not even be _born_." Zelda hissed. "It might never get to breathe, never open its eyes and see the world."

Link felt a few different emotions wash over him, starting with offense and working its way into urgency. "Fine, what can I do?"

Zelda frowned, "There is only _one_ person with enough power to open that world without anyone's help."

Link raised an eyebrow.

"Someone with all the power of magic and all the power of a Triforce."

Link's eyes widened and then narrowed in mild anger. "Are you trying to tell me that _Missy_ is going to cause the end of the world?"

"Papa!" Seth called, running over to Link. The blonde hero continued his angry stare only for a moment, then smiled at his son.

"How'd you do?"

"I got 93." He frowned, "Not a perfect score."

"You did it though!" Link beamed, hugging his son. Seth pushed back in protest, but just shrugged and hugged back.

"I'm going to go hang out with my friends." He smiled, then ran off. After a moment he jogged back and hugged Link again, to the hero's surprise. "Thank you for training me Papa. I love you."

Link smiled while Seth ran to his friends and the crowd began to scatter around the festival. It was pretty rare to get affection from Seth now that he was older, but he loved it when he got it.

Zelda smiled weakly too, but Link was angry at her.

"Link, it's not her fault."

Link crossed his arms. "This is ridiculous. She's too good hearted. She's not the one, I think you're wrong."

"Papa!"

"Link!"

The pair gasped and parted when they saw a large blast of black energy coming towards them. The voices had come from Chloe and Dark. Dark had Zelly, what they affectionately called Zelda's daughter, in his arms and was running towards them, and Chloe was coming from another direction.

Link felt his daughter run into his arms and with another blast of energy came Dark pulling both him and the Princess out of the way. Zelda pulled her daughter into her own arms and choked in shock.

"Papa," Chloe cried, eyes wet with tears, "Kale said he's going to use her to save Gannondorf! He put something in her… it was like a piece of black glass…"

Dark's ears perked up. Black glass. That was similar to what he had used to create a mind link between himself and the hero when they were younger. "He took over her body." Dark muttered, seeing Zelda agree with him.

Link thought he might cry. Artemis was in the sky, shooting at them herself, her hair flapping in all directions and eyes burning blood red. Dark pushed Chloe into a building, the school house perhaps? He didn't bother looking, and put himself in front of Link.

Link scoffed. As if, even in his pregnant state, he wasn't twice as strong as Dark. He proved that when they ran across town and Dark almost died.

Kale strolled out from behind a building and smiled at Link and Dark. "Hello, friends!"

Link narrowed his eyes. "You are not my friend."

"Well," Kale frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that. I just wanted to come out and apologize for this."

Dark wasn't entirely sure what he would do if he got in a fight with Kale, but he wound up his arm and gave him a hard punch in the jaw.

A massive beam of energy barely missed Dark's foot and he looked up at Artemis. For a brief moment he wondered if she knew what she was doing, if she could see what was happening to her. He hoped partly that she couldn't see. That she didn't know. The other part of him hoped dearly that she could, because that would be easier to heal.

"We don't have _time_ for this." Kale spat, irritated that he had received that punch. "We have places to go. _People to see._"

Link ran forward and, using a well placed box, jumped up to grab Artemis's foot. She gasped and began to kick him off frantically.

"Link!" Zelda shouted while Dark ran forward to catch the Hero. It was a failure in reality, Link just crashed into Dark and they both fell to the ground. At least Dark could say he cushioned Link's fall.

Kale quickly took Artemis's hands and vanished, taking her with him. Shortly after the commotion ended, Seth made his way out of the crowd and to his parents, helping each up individually.

"Daddy, Papa, what's going on?"

Link looked over at Zelda and frowned. "How do we fix this?"

….

By 'fix', Link didn't mean go on an adventure, but he was disappointed to find himself in the Temple of Time.

Zelda was carrying her daughter, who was asleep on her shoulder, and she was being followed by Link, Dark, Chloe, and Seth. "Link, we cannot stop the return of Gannondorf. If there was a way, Nayru would have shown me. All she did was show me what was going to happen, though."

She frowned, "She showed me what would happen, and what we can do to help the Hero of Winds."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Who is the Hero of Winds?"

"I shouldn't tell you," Zelda began, passing her sleeping daughter off on Chloe, "But since I'm not entirely sure what's going to happen to us in this disaster, I will. If you die," She paused when she saw the shock that passed between both Chloe and Seth, and the question on Dark's face. "If you die, you won't be able to tell anyone. If you do not you must never tell a soul."

Link shrugged, and the rest of his family agreed.

"Did Aryll ever tell you about being kidnapped as a child?"

"She told me." Dark frowned. "She said she didn't remember much, but her brother saved her."

"Yes," Zelda looked forward at the sacred temple of time. "Gannondorf will return, but when this flood comes he will be stranded by magic and water on a small island. Eventually he will want to find the Triforce again, and begin a frantic search for the current Princess Zelda." She looked down at Zelly and shook her head. "I believe this will be Zelly's daughter, or maybe even granddaughter."

Link saw Chloe shiver, and pulled her closer to him.

"The Hero of Winds will rise up to save that princess, as well as the land that Hyrule will become, the great sea."

"That's Aryll's brother, then." Dark realized.

"So what you're saying is there is _nothing_ we can do to stop this?" Link asked, moderately worried.

"No," Zelda shook her head. "We cannot stop this. However, we can take the steps the Goddesses asked of us, and then we can try."

Link nodded. "What do we do?"

"Link… You need to pull the Master Sword."

Chloe and Seth both gasped in a little excitement. They had never seen that sword before—it was just from the legends.

Dark however was not impressed. "He's pregnant."

Zelda was silent.

"Remember? Last time he touched it when he was pregnant it didn't _work_."

"I remember." Zelda began, but she looked at the Triforce. "The Goddesses are desperate now, you see…" She bit her lip. "They'll modify you, somehow, to make it work."

Modify. That word made Link bring his hand to his stomach and consider what would happen. "You mean move me through time?"

"I don't know." Zelda whispered. "I just know that you _must_ pull the sword."

"But…" Seth looked between the adults, "What if it kills the baby?"

Dark winced, hearing that. That was probably _exactly_ what would happen. Link paled.

"L-Link," Zelda began, putting up her hands, "What's m-more important here? A baby that isn't even born yet, or the whole world?"

"I…" Link wanted to cry, but he wouldn't. He could feel that same _stupid_ sense of obligation rising up in him. The same obligation that kept him from just laughing at Zelda and running away when they were kids.

"Why do I have to pull it?" Link asked.

"We have to relocate the Triforce, and the resting place for the sword. To do that, we need to access the sacred realm. As you know, the only way to get to the sacred realm is either for it to be opened from the inside out, or to pull the sword."

"What will happen when we get the Triforce?"

"Well," Zelda frowned, "In my vision it showed the three of us, you and Dark and I, touching the Triforce together. That was as much as I saw of that. I believe that means that we will each retain a piece of it until we finalize the location where it will be resting."

Dark raised an eyebrow. "You think that the Triforce of Power will rest with me? I'm not powerful at all anymore." He adjusted the small ponytail of his hair that fell by his ears.

"Not really." Zelda admitted, "But I feel like if we all touch it at once, and Link resumes the Triforce of Courage, and I resume the Triforce of Wisdom, that there will be only one outlet for the Triforce of Power."

"Wait," Link frowned, "Is the master sword then going to change me so I can use it, or change me so I can use the Triforce. If we're not trying to destroy evil, that is?" He was hopeful that perhaps his baby would be fine.

Zelda shrugged, again. "I don't know. It was a vision, not a novel. I didn't get a very good explanation."

"Why," Chloe whispered, "If it was for the Triforce would you change at all? If Daddy and Princess Zelda can use the magic of the Goddesses without changing, why not you?"

Zelda frowned. "We won't know anything if you don't try." She directed this at Link, who was still a little worried. As a mother herself, Zelda could see the fear in his eyes and she patted his shoulder. "Link… If you don't do this it is _certain_ that your baby will never survive. At least if you do this you can try. Maybe once the sword is returned to its pedestal everything will return to normal."

Link nodded and stepped forward while Zelda opened the Door of Time. With a burst of confidence that he knew he was probably imagining, he reached down and pulled the sword.

…

"Oh my gods." Chloe whispered when the light cleared. She set the sleeping Zelly down and stepped forward, trying to believe her eyes.

Seth looked around, seeing that all three, Zelda, Dark, and Link had passed out. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Am I dreaming?"

They were young. All their wrinkles, the way they looked, the way they were _dressed_ was gone. Zelda was wearing a slimming pink dress and her hair was longer, past her waist even.

Chloe looked at Link and Dark, laying only a few feet from each other. "I can't believe it." She muttered. The whole time when since they learned about Dark being a demon he said over and over that he was Link's _shadow_. None of them believed it because, what? They didn't look anything alike. Dark had long enough strait black hair that he could put it in a tiny ponytail, and he wore glasses. He was like a foot taller than Link too. Link's hair was blonde and had more body than Dark's. It was a little bit wavy sometimes, and he just…

They didn't look alike.

Looking at them now, they could see the resemblance. Link was wearing a green tunic and hat, an outfit that they had only seen in storybooks and described differently by everyone. He had on brown boots and gauntlets, and he had the Master Sword, which he had only just pulled out, mysteriously strapped over his shoulder.

Dark was almost his mirror image. His hair was still black, and his clothing was just a black version of Link's. He had a sword of his own, something of an inverted Master Sword. He was also a good deal shorter than he had been just moments ago, and his glasses were nowhere to be found.

Chloe and Seth met eyes and both made their way to one of their parents.

"It's like they're twins." Chloe whispered, smiling. That sword had sent their _bodies_ back in time. But why all three of them? Was it saying that Zelda wasn't able to handle the magic of the Triforce as she was now? Or Dark? She looked over Link's face and noticed the freckles. Link didn't have freckles anymore—so she had always wondered where she had Artemis had gotten them from. She knelt down and looked at him. "He's so skinny," She smiled, "Look how small his hips are!"

Seth laughed. "His hips aren't big."

"But look! It's like his body _changed_ entirely because of us. He has all these muscles and he's powerful looking." She stood up for a moment and looked at Seth. "I guess I always saw him as our Papa, so I didn't think there was a super strong bone in his body."

Seth had been admiring Dark. His skin was very tan and his body had those same muscles built in. That surprised him, because they had _never_ seen Dark with strong arms. "Do you think they're hurt?"

"No." Chloe touched her Papa's hair, smiling at how soft it was. Lately his hair was dry all the time, but now it was shining like her hair. In curiosity she put her hand over her Papa's stomach. She frowned, and Seth raised an eyebrow.

"Is it there?"

"It's totally flat." She whispered, "…and remarkably firm. Does he have a six-pack?" She began searching for a way to look, but Seth whacked her in the head.

"You don't need to be stripping Papa."

She blushed. "I wasn't. You're making this sound bad. I just wanted to know." She partly wished that Artemis was here—she would be a lot more fun to see this with. They would gossip and laugh… She silently worried about her sister.

"So… there's definitely no baby, then?" Seth asked, concerned. "Papa will be upset." He jumped though, when he noticed the three of them opening their eyes. Zelda was up first, and she looked herself over in shock. The other two were still sleeping, but she got to her feet and dusted off her dress.

"Where am I…" She paused, "Oh…Well, _this_ is a surprise. I wish I had seen this in my vision." She looked at her daughter in the corner and chuckled. It was best to let her sleep—she wouldn't recognize her like this.

"Princess," Chloe whispered, "Are you okay?"

Zelda nodded. "I am, but I'm not sure about those two." She nodded towards Link and Dark. "When I first woke up I didn't know where I was."

"…So?"

"So…" Zelda saw Dark start to sit up and fell silent. Chloe smiled and turned to face him, about to say something when he beat her to the punch.

"What the hell am I doing here?" He rubbed the back of his head and groaned. He met eyes with Chloe and raised an eyebrow when she got close to him. With a disgusted face he pushed her a few feet away and stood up on his feet. "Do you _need_ to be this close to me?"

Chloe gaped. His eyes were red, like Artemis's had turned. He was a demon again. "He doesn't know who I am?"

Zelda put her hand on Chloe's shoulder and whispered "It might take a few minutes before he remembers. I have all my memories, he should get his."

Seth looked at her confused. "He doesn't… know who we are?"

Dark smirked and strolled over to the still waking Link and kicked him. "Hey Hero," He snickered, "I don't know how it happened, but it looks like I can have my rematch now."

Link's eyes shot open and he looked up at Dark. A scowl came over him and he jumped to his feet.

For once in Seth's life he saw Link jump up faster than he could, and he didn't stop to get dizzy. He looked like he was about to get into a fight with Dark, but he stopped and looked at Zelda.

"What are you doing out of the castle?" He looked around, "What am I doing here?"

Zelda took advantage of the situation. "Link, do you remember what we were doing here?"

The blonde raised a seventeen-year-old eyebrow. "…No. I don't."

Zelda tried to think up a new solution to this minor problem. She needed Link and Dark not only to agree, but to remember why the sword was drawn in the first place. Especially Dark, because if he had an evil heart going into this whole Triforce business, they would have a new problem.

Chloe frowned and took Seth's hand, but the boy stepped up to Link. "Do you know who I am?" Seth began, thinking perhaps just _being_ Link's son would jog his memories. "Papa?"

Link scrunched his face up in confusion, and then laughed. "Did you just call me Papa? You're, what, three years younger than me? Is that a joke?"

Seth frowned, but Zelda jumped in on this plan. "Now, Link, look at him. He's got your hair, your eyes… he even has that little dimple you get."

Seth briefly considered elbowing the Princess, but didn't. Link would get angry at him later for sure, and if he was in a state of mind where he was supposed to _protect_ Zelda, it wouldn't help. Zelda put both her hands on Seth's shoulders and stood behind him with a fake smile plastered on her face.

Link laughed again. "Seriously, do I look like I could really be his dad? I would have been like, two when he was born."

Dark just stared between them, not speaking or moving. He wanted to see how this played out.

Chloe came to stand next to Seth, but her eyes stayed focused on Dark. He rolled his red orbs and looked away.

"What, are you twins or something?" Link crossed his arms shrugged. "This is stupid, Zelda, why are you going along with this?"

"Don't you think he's… Cute?" Zelda smiled at Link, "Don't you have a sort of… bond with him?"

Seth did elbow her this time, gently. "I'm not cute." He muttered, "I'm cool."

Chloe giggled. "Come on, Papa, you have to remember soon. How about now?"

Seth nodded. "You can do it."

Link stepped back and rested his hands on his hips, tapping the toe of his boot on the floor. "This is crazy." He redirected his attention to Dark. "What's he doing here?"

Chloe took Link's hand, which the Hero tried to jerk away, and held it tightly. "Do you know my name?"

Link pulled his hand away and rolled his eyes. "You haven't told me yet, so no."

"Chloe."

The voice was firm, and it even shocked Seth, Zelda, and Chloe for a minute. It was relaxed though, and smooth. The entire quartet of people turned to look at Dark, who was looking himself over. "Oh boy." He muttered, looking down at his clothes. He looked back up at Chloe and smiled. "Chloe. Are you alright? What _happened_ to us?"

Chloe bounded over to her father and her face brightened. Link raised an eyebrow when he saw the 'evil demon' throw his arms around her and hold her close. Seth smiled, and Dark reached out to him. "Seth, did any time pass in here? Are you guys hurt?"

Zelda smiled. "I'm glad you remember, Dark,"

Link thought he might explode. "What?"

"We're fine, Dad." Seth replied, giving his father a quick, embarrassed hug.

"Wait," Link looked between Zelda and Dark.

Dark had to admit he liked to see Link young again. He found himself really attracted to the Hero. He briefly wondered if Link found him attractive now that he looked young too.

"Yes?" Zelda asked, glancing over to her sleeping daughter.

"You're telling me that you guys know something I don't?"

"We're in the future," Zelda tried to explain, "Well, no, we're in the present, but our bodies are in the past." She frowned. This was difficult.

Chloe took Link's hand and tugged down, pulling the hero into a sitting position on the floor. "Okay," She began, "You're actually thirty… um... five? Two?" She glanced at Dark, who chuckled.

"Four." He answered. Link looked at him with another sneer. He couldn't get over how relaxed everyone was around Dark, either.

"Thanks Daddy." Chloe grinned. "Okay, you're actually thirty-four, and you train knights for a living at Hyrule Castle."

Zelda nodded when Link looked up at her, and he continued to listen.

"You have three…" She trailed off for a minute and decided it was best not to mention the baby. "…Three kids. I'm Chloe, this is Seth… Then there is Artemis. She was turned evil by a man named Kale, and you had to get the Master Sword to help save Hyrule."

Dark shrugged. That was a highly simplified version of the story. But he did wonder, when Chloe said three kids, about the condition of Link. Was it possible there was still a baby in there, or had it… vanished? Judging by the way Link was acting, and the way his body was shaped… this was either before he was ever pregnant with Artemis, or before he knew he was. A little worry washed over him and he frowned.

"Okay, listen," Link put his hands up and got to his feet. He even offered Chloe a hand to stand up with. "Even if I believed you, which I really _don't_, If _I_ was your father, why would you call _him_ Daddy?" He indicated to Dark and the Demon smiled.

This would be good.

….

_There you have it: Dark has his powers back, as per a lot of requests. He is, however, seventeen again. That's cute. Now he's younger than Kale. He's only a year older than Artemis._

_If I were Chloe, I'd be checking out Link too. ;D_

_R&R_


	8. A mother won't forget

"You're both our parents." Chloe answered, "Silly."

Link raised an eyebrow, and Zelda thought about cutting in. "Daddy accidentally cursed you when you were eighteen, I think, and it made you pregnant with Artemis. All of us were born after that."

Link paled and shook his head. "You're saying… what?" He pretended to dry heave. After a moment of shock he narrowed his eyes. Then he just got angry.

"I don't even WANT children!" He shouted, "They're snotty and stupid and needy." He crossed his arms and she shook her head.

"No, that's not… that's not true!" Chloe clenched her fists. "You love us! You taught Seth how to use swords and you taught me how to read in the ancient Hylian! You bake cookies with us every winter! You're just confused—you do love us."

"I DON'T love you! I don't even know who the fuck you are!" Link shouted, losing his temper. Dark gasped and pulled Chloe out of the way just short of her getting hit. The demon, empowered by his youth and magic, took a hold of Link's wrist.

"Link, I understand this is hard to swallow—especially since you don't seem to have any of your memories—however you will _not_ hit Chloe. All she did was offer you her love."

Link tried to take his hand away, but to his surprise Dark tightened his grip. "Don't do something you'll regret." He threw Link's arm back at him and turned to console Chloe, who burst into tears.

Seth looked at Link and widened his eyes. "You were going to hit her?"

The taller teenager rolled his eyes. "What if I was?"

"…" Seth was quiet and he shrugged. "Just…" He looked at his sister, in tears, and bit his lip. "She was just worried about you. You never hit us before… Not even when I broke fancy bottle Mrs. Malon gave you."

Link raised an eyebrow and considered this. He was sure that he had no fancy bottles, and that 'Mrs. Malon' had to be a reference to the rancher, but he didn't care. Why should he? He was happy in his belief that he was himself. What was he talking about, he _was_ himself.

…

Link hadn't said a word in over an hour, and Chloe hadn't stopped crying. She had _never_ been yelled at like that by her Papa, and she was terrified.

Zelda had, regardless of the situation, convinced Link that they needed to get the Triforce. As the Hero of Time, he did as was told, and now they were making their way to Hyrule Castle, the three eldest with a stinging in their hands where a new magic was.

Zelda walked in the middle, carrying her daughter in her arms and wearing her cloak over her head. Dark walked with Chloe on her left, and Link was on her right. Seth followed behind them with a frown on his face.

Link had to admit, he felt a little bit guilty for lashing out at the blonde girl, Chloe. He looked past the group at her, still crying, and got a cold stare from Dark.

He tried to examine that stare. He could see past it, he could see a loving, compassionate gaze behind the anger, and it made him shiver. Him? With Dark? He frowned. Then a new thought crossed his mind, and he touched his stomach with his fingertips. Had he really… had a baby? Three? He shook his head. No, he couldn't have. That was crazy talk.

But when he looked at the girl, crying, he felt something in the back of his mind. It was dull, quiet, but it was saying to fix it. It was like some kind of crazy intuition that he wasn't sure he really had.

If everyone else had their memories, why didn't he have his? Why, if he was in the presence of what were potentially his own children, couldn't he remember anything?

Zelda said that the proper explanation for this was that in order to obtain the Triforce their past selves were brought to the future, and their memories were given to them. She said that it almost made more sense that his body be in denial and that it refuse to accept the change, than for it to just give in right away. She was just _certain_ that after spending time with his 'family'—Dark, Chloe, and Seth—that his memories would turn up.

Link _wanted _those memories. He wanted the chance to understand what was going on, and he knew that having to stop and ask questions so much was causing an annoying delay to their progress. He crossed over to Chloe and saw Dark pull her close defensively.

Link had to smile a little, seeing the 'big bad demon' get so defensive over a regular little girl. He could see the mature, fatherly expressions in his eyes—but it was hard to find it in his youthful appearance. He didn't _look_ like a father. He didn't look like he would dedicate his whole life to keeping someone else safe.

Link had to admit, he didn't really want children. He was raised without a mother and father. He had no _idea_ how to raise a child. Did you read to them at night, or did that spoil them? Did you make them eat all the food they didn't like, or did that just make them picky in adulthood? Should you spank them? Well, apparently not—if he had decided against it in the future. Or present. Whatever it was.

Or maybe you _should_ spank your children, potentially, but he just never had. Maybe it was some kind of love in his heart that wouldn't let him.

Link thought about Chloe and Seth. Both of them seemed to think they were right, and that he was wrong. Even if they were, he was sure that was a bad trait. Link had that very same trait. It was silly. Seth looked like he was pretty smug. That was bad too. Chloe was crying, and part of him wanted to call her a cry baby, but the way Seth and Dark were acting made him think she didn't cry very often.

He wondered briefly if he was a bad parent. Did he raise bad children? Were they really great kids, and he just couldn't see it? But looking at Chloe and Seth he was at least proud that they were attractive. Well… not _proud_, but he could see they were. Maybe a little proud. Yes. Proud. Any child of his, real or not, legitimate or accidental, should be attractive. He was, after all, very attractive himself. He was certain of that, based on the women who fawned over him. And…

He looked at Dark Link, who he still wasn't entirely sure was safe, and bit his lip. Sure. He could admit that Dark was attractive too. After all, he was a mirror of Link's appearance. Why _shouldn't_ he look good as well? He looked at the demon in the scarlet eyes and tried to smile, but felt overcome with embarrassment. He wasn't _talking_ to the demon he was used to. He was talking to a grown up version of him. One with a family and a life. Link almost felt envy for that… that knowledge. He sighed.

"I won't hurt her." Link muttered. "I just want to talk to her."

"Fine." Dark whispered, and walked ahead of them. He looked over his shoulder. He hated this—he wished that He had been the one not to get his memories right away. He wished it hadn't been Link… because Link never yelled at his children. Dark rarely did either, but he argued with them much more frequently.

He looked back over his shoulder again and silently wished that Chloe wouldn't take it personally. Dark felt guilty because part of him was really attracted to this… resistant side of Link. It was a trait that the hero had lost over the time they spent together. Fifteen years can really change person. But this—this arguing and cursing and fighting—this is what Dark initially fell in love with.

He smiled a little, embarrassed by his thoughts. Of course he loved the way Link acted now: loving, smart, thoughtful… he was proud of the hero for maturing so much—especially because he had to mature in such a short amount of time for Artemis.

Dark thought about Artemis and wondered if she would be alright. Opening the twilight realm? Would all of that power hurt her, or would it be like when she was a baby? Would using it zap away the rest of her magic?

As for her eyes… Dark felt guilty when he saw her like that. He was lucky—he was given his own free thoughts and ideas when he was created, but most evil demons weren't. They were just… slaves to their creators. He didn't want that for Artemis. He didn't want _any_ of it—even being a good demon. He wanted to take that burden away from her.

Dark thought back to Link again, and how he had yelled at Chloe, and made like he would hit her. Link would _never _hit his daughter. He felt guilty just sparring with Seth. He would probably be very sorry, when he got his memories.

Chloe wiped her eyes and looked ahead, choosing not to make eye contact with Link. She had come to the decision that he was just unable to remember. It was silly for her to call someone who was only a few years older than herself Papa anyway. She bit her lip to keep it from quivering and was silent.

"I'm sorry," Link began, "For getting upset with you."

She nodded, but didn't speak.

"If… everything is true…" He frowned, "Obviously Zelda and D…Dark" he said the name as if it was acid on his tongue. "… They remember all this, so it must be. Help me remember."

She looked at him with sad eyes and nodded. "How?" Link observed as she pulled a piece of her blond hair behind her ear and tried not to blush. He had all kinds of mixed emotions right now, and he was having trouble suppressing them. One of them was an embarrassed, almost _attraction_ to Chloe. He wouldn't mention it, of course, and he was also quite sure it was misunderstood. It was probably some kind of _motherly bond_ that he just couldn't decipher yet.

Motherly. Ha. As if he would ever accept that. He was sure that, if anything, the reason they were calling him Papa was just for that reason. That made him happy—to know that even if he did all the things they said, that he was still himself.

"I don't know." Link shrugged, coming back to the conversation he was in. "Tell me about yourself. Something I might remember, like what you like to do and memories or something."

"Um," Chloe thought, but there wasn't that much interesting stuff about her. "Okay, Uh… I like to read with Daddy. I spend most of my time at home with him, since he's not very strong anymore."

Link tried to suppress a snicker. "Why isn't he strong?"

Dark's ears perked up, but he didn't say anything. Chloe knew the answer to this, and it wasn't like it was a secret.

"Daddy gave up being a demon when Gannondorf kidnapped Artemis."

"Gannondorf kidnapped… Artemis?" Link almost had forgotten who Artemis was when she first said the name, but he vaguely remembered them mentioning she was their sister earlier.

"Yeah. The day she was born he came and took her away. Daddy and you went to save her, but he had to give up all his evil powers so he could live away from Gannondorf. Then you and the sages sealed him away."

Dark had to admit, Chloe had the story down almost better than he did. But he just smiled and let her continue.

"Then he died, I guess. He turned into a ghost because he had no body. His body was made of evil magic. The sages made him a hylian. He actually has blue eyes now—his red eyes look funny."

Link was having a hard time following this, but he didn't mind. If this was true he wanted to remember. He felt left out of the loop not knowing what was going on. How could he save Hyrule without knowing anything about it? He frowned and admired Chloe. She looked like Dark. He could see it. He could see in the way her face was shaped, and how her nose was curved. He also noticed the color of her eyes, and her freckles, and blushed again. He saw himself in her. Maybe he really was her… Papa…

"Okay… tell me more." Link whispered.

"Um, Artemis is sixteen. She's got black hair. She's a demon, like Daddy was. It's because she was the only one born when he was still a demon. Her hair is almost as long as Zelda's is now, and she normally has bright blue eyes—because she's not an evil demon. Kale kidnapped her though, he's Gannon's son—I think. I don't think Gannon raised him, but he's pretty sneaky. He made her into an evil demon."

Link felt that same mysterious feeling in the back of his head, like something bad had happened. He thought for a moment it might be worry.

"Then there's Seth." Chloe smiled back at her brother. "He's your favorite."

"Hey," Dark called from in front of them, interrupted his daughter, "We do not play favorites in this household. Both of us love all of you the same."

Chloe smiled, and even Link felt a smirk on his lips. What a… fatherly thing to say. He had never heard that kind of authority in Dark's voice. It had always just been teenage angst.

"Why is Seth my favorite?"

"He makes you proud all the time. You taught him how to use swords so he could be a knight. He's always obedient and stuff. He broke his arm saving you when—uh…" She thought once more to the situation of the potential child.

"…Uh, what?" Link raised an eyebrow.

Dark felt the need to interrupt again. "Hero," He addressed Link, who wasn't used to the pet name. "Don't make her answer that right now. When you get your memories back you'll know."

Link shrugged and Chloe continued. "He saved you, but his exams were a week away. That was today. He entered them anyway though, and broke it worse. But he passed."

Link looked back at Seth, who nodded. He looked at his wrapped up right arm, and then to the sword slung over his right shoulder, something that most men carried on their left. "You're left handed?"

Seth nodded. "Just like you."

Link blushed again. This was crazy. He felt like he must be going insane.

Zelda led them around the back of the castle, where there were far fewer guards, and touched a stone that revealed a hidden staircase.

Dark raised an eyebrow. "Is this how you sneak out?"

"Absolutely" Zelda smiled, stepping up. They followed behind her quietly. Dark noticed Link walking alone again and made his way over. He snaked an arm around the Hero, and Link raised an eyebrow.

"Do I let you do that?" there was a distasteful hate in his voice, and Dark found it appealing.

"No." Dark answered honestly. "You don't."

"Good." Link knocked his hand away and looked back at Seth and Chloe, who were laughing and chatting. "So… Those are ours?"

Dark smiled at the two behind them. "Sometimes I wish they weren't, for all the trouble they cause. It's hard for you I bet, not knowing what's going on with your own life." He crossed his arms. "But yeah. If it makes you feel better it was an accident—the first one at least." He smiled, "But it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to you."

Link looked away. "Do you think so?"

"I know so."

"How? How do you know I didn't want something else for myself?" Link bit his lip. "How do you know I didn't just… settle."

Dark tried not to laugh. "You _hated_ the idea of having a baby. You wanted to give it to me, and never see it again. At least… until she was big enough you could feel her moving around in there." Dark tickled the hero's firm abs briefly, earning a glare and a swat to his hand.

"Moving?"

"That's what babies do in there." Dark smirked, "Anyway, after that your whole outlook flip flopped. You realized that now you had someone far more precious to you than Zelda to protect. Not that you don't _protect_ the princess now." He rolled his eyes. Link raised an eyebrow and had no idea what he meant.

So Dark just laughed and put out his shoulder. Link blinked. Dark explained. "You would normally hit me for saying that. Give it a whirl."

Link rolled his eyes and didn't, and Dark smirked.

Dark looked at his hand and smiled. Time couldn't change everything. Even if his ring wasn't there, he felt wrong without the dented up band. "Do you want me to help you remember, or would you feel better if I acted like I hated you and wanted to fight you."

Link raised his shoulders. "Did you ever get your rematch?"

Dark smiled. "When you came to me the second time it was after you knew you were pregnant. You wanted to know if I did it, so you came to find me. I jumped on you, scared you, and you know what you did?"

"I don't know. Something stupid?"

"You cried."

Link was quiet, but blushed.

"Yeah. It broke my heart too. So I decided if it _was_ my baby that I would feel better protecting you than fighting you. So in answer to your question? No. I never got my rematch. I thought I would after the baby was born—even though at that point I was in love with you and wouldn't ever try to kill you. But just sparring you know? Then I thought I would after we defeated Gannon."

"But you turned human." Link remembered from Chloe's stories. "So you weren't very strong." He turned his blue eyes to meet Dark's. "Why did you fall in love with me?"

Dark smiled and tilted up Link's chin, drawing his face close to Link's. "How could I resist?"

Link blushed and pulled away, and Dark snickered. Yeah, that was pretty similar to how things went now. Maybe Link hadn't changed so much.

Then Dark had an idea. "Do you remember your first kiss?"

Link couldn't say he did. In fact, he couldn't say that he even had _been _kissed. Of course, if he was who he was, he probably had.

Dark snickered. "Okay, let me set the stage for you. You were sitting in the grass, you were pregnant, and you were unable to get up on your own."

"Well that doesn't sound like me. I can do anything."

"Yeah," Dark muttered, "That's the same thinking that got you stuck on the ground in the first place. But eventually I went to help you up, and you told me how you couldn't contain it any longer, and you _needed me_. You told me I was the sexiest thing in the world and you wanted to be mine."

Link's face turned eight shades of red and he shook his head. "That's a lie!"

"How do you know?" Dark smirked. This was a fun version of reverse psychology for him.

"I wouldn't have said that! _Nothing_ could have made me say that. I could have been DYING and I wouldn't have said that."

Dark nodded. "You're right—it was a lie… But watch what you think you'll _never_ say."

"Wh-what? Why? There really is _nothing_ that would make me say that."

Dark smirked. To tease or not to tease? …To tease. "Mmm. Well, you say that now—but just imagine the things that spurt from your mouth when you're in the middle of heated love-making."

Link almost gasped, and quickly turned to look at the wall. He wanted to pull his hat down over his face and hide. That was _the worst thought_ that had ever crossed his mind. Eventually Dark gave him a pat on the shoulder and continued talking.

"But you did kiss me that day. Not the other way around." Dark smiled broadly. "Do you remember anything?"

"No." Link frowned. "I'd prefer not to talk about it—hey!"

Chloe and Seth stopped walking up the stairs and watched as their Daddy pinned Link against the wall. Dark smiled devilishly through half-lidded scarlet eyes and Link turned a deeper shade of red. Anymore and his face would start glowing.

"What are you..?" Link began, but Dark interrupted.

"You were worried that someone had stolen your first kiss." Dark whispered, even getting the attention of Zelda. He got dangerously close to Link's lips, even brushing them with his own. Link rolled his lips in a little.

"I… I don't think this is…" Link whispered, but Dark gripped both of Link's wrists over his head, against the wall, with one hand and he gently stroked Link's neck, just below his ear, with the other. The blonde was rather embarrassed by the noise that threatened to crawl up his throat.

"I pushed you back like this…" Dark began, knowing very well all the places he could touch that would make the hero go crazy—even if he was denying it, "And I asked you a question. Tell me what it was."

"D-Dark, I…" Link blushed when he felt the demon's hand on his neck. That was a _sensitive_ spot. How had he even pinpointed that so quickly?

"It started with 'give me the honor'." Dark smiled realigning his face with Link's.

The blonde felt a warm feeling wash over him, and he leaned up on his toes. "Of receiving… your… first… kiss…" Link pressed his lips against Dark's partially against his will and partially because it felt _so_ right.

Chloe and Seth both averted their eyes, a little embarrassed for their parents, and Zelda smiled. It would be that kind of unique, true love that would awaken Link's memories.

Link felt Dark let go of his wrists, and he slowly rested them on the back of the Demon's head before quickly pulling out of the kiss and pushing Dark back a few feet.

"Don't do that again." Link muttered, crossing his arms.

Dark raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"

"Lie and say I said I 'needed' you that night. As if. Where do you even get off, that was right before you pissed me off and we got in an argument."

Dark smiled, relieved to hear something from the perspective of the Link he knew and loved.

Link looked down at himself and shivered. "It's so crazy, looking this way." Then he glanced at Chloe, who was still a little shaken up. He could remember what just happened—it wasn't like he forgot. He stepped down a few stairs to her and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry Princess."

Chloe hugged Link for a few minutes before she started to cry again. Link kissed her forehead and she smiled.

Zelda called down to Link, "I'm glad you're all here now, but I wondered about your baby. Can you feel it?"

Link didn't really say anything. He just shook his head and Zelda dropped it. Hopefully when they went back to normal he would have his baby back. He made his way back up to Dark and dug his elbow into his gut. "Don't go kissing me in public like that. It's embarrassing."

Dark rolled his eyes and pushed the Hero back.

Link had to admit, his breath was taken away by Dark's eyes. Maybe it was just because he hadn't seen them that color in years, or maybe it was because they couldn't stay that way… but they really got to Link. They were seductive, dangerous… They were something that blue eyes just couldn't be. They were probably why he had convinced Link to kiss him a few minutes ago anyway.

…Probably.

…..


	9. Gannondorf

It was hot in the desert, and Lenzo had to pull the pictograph box away from his face to wipe the sweat slowly gathering on the eyepiece. With a frown he let the camera hang from his neck and pulled out a bottle of water. It was starting to get dark, and perhaps it was time to try and find his way back to the Gerudo's Fortress. They were kind enough to not _kill_ him the first time he entered their lands, and after a long discussion about how he was pretty harmless, they let him go seek out his death in the deserts.

Lenzo was a pictographer. He spent his life traveling the world to find the most beautiful pictographs in creation. He was also from Termina, which made him very unfamiliar with the traditions and locals of Hyrule.

Termina was very much the opposite of Hyrule. In Termina the people carried pictograph boxes and compasses, but in Hyrule they carried potions and spells. Termina was a technically advanced world, and Lenzo felt very out of place seeing people wandering around with bows instead of guns.

He tucked the half empty bottle away into his backpack and was about to start on his way when he saw a flash of light in the distance, close to the desert colossus. He gasped and ducked behind a boulder to hide.

A Gerudo-looking man that was probably the same age as Lenzo and a girl who could probably be only a little younger had just appeared in the sand. He watched in silence as the man chanted something, and the girl started to… burn? It looked like she was on fire.

He felt guilty that his first instinct was to take a pictograph of it. After that moment fluttered away from his heart though, he quickly thought up a new plan—pour some water on her.

A strange portal opened in the sky, and a dark man began to slowly materialize out of it. The Gerudo kid ran to him, probably a few hundred feet away, and left the girl to burn in the sand.

In that moment of opportunity, Lenzo ran for the girl and gasped a little when he got a good look at her. She had _black _hair. No one in Termina had black hair, and so far he hadn't seen any Hylians with it either. In his reflexes, he poured the bottle of water over her head. He realized after that it was magic making her burn, not fire. She, luckily, had passed out cold.

He would have been embarrassed if she had gotten upset with him. He didn't know what else to do, so he scooped up her damp body and ran back behind the rock.

He sat with his head against the boulder for a moment after that. "Oh shit." He muttered, slamming his head against the rock. What was he going to do? Those two were _obviously_ magical, and even if they weren't they were both Gerudo. If they turned and saw this girl was missing they would see there was only one rock here and find him behind it.

How did Lenzo even know she wasn't evil? What if _she_ was the bad guy and he was saving her from the good guys? He frowned and looked over her pale face and briefly wondered if she was even alive. He looked around. There was nowhere to hide in this open desert except behind this boulder. He thought about what he was leaving behind.

In Termina, he had little family. His only relative was his mother, who hardly spoke to him anymore. He had no wife, even though he was plenty old enough to find one, and he had no other family.

He heard a shout and winced.

"_What happened?"_ came a booming, grotesque voice. He held the girl closer to him, trying to squeeze as much into the boulder as possible. "KALE?"

Kale must have been the younger boy he saw, because his voice was much softer.

"I don't know. The spell I cast on her must have been broken when she completed the task I needed her for." He didn't _sound_ too disappointed. "She probably warped herself away."

"FIND HER." The other, much angrier voice shouted. The whole desert lit up, and then Kale kicked a rock. It rolled past Lenzo gently, and he suppressed a gasp.

"She already served her purpose." He muttered, "I hate hurting her like this." His voice dropped lower and he added, "I'm sorry Arty."

The desert lit up again and it was silent. Lenzo could have peed his pants he was so excited. They didn't _see him_. They were SO used to being magical, that the people living in Hyrule didn't even bother _checking_ behind the boulder. He grinned in excitement.

After a moment of his silent victory, he peeked behind the rock to make sure he was really alone. When that was confirmed, he decided it was best to go about waking up this girl.

He moved her away from him—no need for her to feel violated—and tapped her face lightly, trying to draw her out of her slumber. When that didn't work, he settled for shaking her shoulder.

After a short while she slowly opened her eyes.

Lenzo was captivated. Her eyes were the most _magnificent_ shade of blue he had ever seen. They were light, almost the color of ice, hardly even tinted blue at all, and they were framed by long, dark lashes. He couldn't help but smile. He was totally entranced by them, and captivated.

"W-who are you?" She asked, rubbing her head. "What happened? Where's Kale?"

Lenzo's heart sank a little at the sudden lack of praise for saving her. He shrugged, and said, "I'm Lenzo of Termina. I'm a pictographer."

….

Artemis wasn't sure she trusted 'Lenzo of Termina'. She had no idea where Termina was, and his story didn't make sense to her. Sure, she was grateful to be saved, but she was more than a little weirded out by the fact that this guy just swooped in and _stole_ her away from Kale without knowing the situation.

She felt very weak, and was doing her best to keep up with his slow paced walk. When she woke up she couldn't use any of her magic either. She wondered if she still had it and remembered what her Daddy had told her about when she used it up as a baby.

Lenzo was strange… especially to travel with. His hair was trimmed strictly and short all around his head, but his bangs were the longest part. They were probably only barely long enough to reach his eyebrows, but they were held up by some kind of hair gel so they poked upwards, defying gravity. His hair was chocolate brown, and he wore a yellow tunic and jeans.

He wasn't unattractive though, and Artemis found herself blushing when he looked her way with his bright green eyes.

Green eyes. That was something she rarely saw in Hyrule. It must have been a trademark of Termina. She smiled at him.

"Tell me about yourself, then," He muttered, trying to create conversation. It seemed to him that they were both just blushing over one another. He thought her blushes were cute, but his own? No, they weren't.

Something about this boy, this _pictographer, _was seriously intriguing Artemis. She was very interested in him. What was a pictograph anyway? She had certainly never seen one. Not to mention he looked _normal_. Normal was a rare find here in Hyrule, it seemed. He didn't look like he was evil, magical, or even special. He was just a guy. Just a good looking, smart, guy who saved her.

Artemis remembered the wrongs that went with her relationship with Kale. She didn't want that to happen with Lenzo, even if she wasn't entirely sure that he should be romantically involved with him. Something about him was different, though. She felt safe around him—something that just never happened with Kale. Kale was a lot of bad things, and the start of their bad relationship was clear. She lied to him, he lied to her. She wasn't going to start with Lenzo.

"Do you know who the Hero of Time is?" She began, giving him a smirk. He nodded.

"The legendary hero of Hyrule. Even in Termina he is respected. He knew my mother—briefly. She fled Hyrule when they were children. She'll brag like she married him—but she hardly knows him."

"He's my mom." Artemis almost laughed at her sentence.

"M-mom?" Lenzo raised an eyebrow and quickly looked into her eyes again. "Maybe we shouldn't…"

"Yeah." Missy smiled. "I call him Papa. He was cursed by an evil demon when he saved the world. That demon happened to be very untalented in curses. The curse made him pregnant. Then he fell in love with the demon, who was also a man, and now we all live together in a house on a hill with a dog."

Lenzo rubbed the back of his neck. "O-okay? I guess to each his own."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't bother you that I have a Papa and a Daddy?"

Lenzo laughed. "Were you _trying _to bother me? I never had a dad at all—so consider yourself double lucky." He smiled. "So… is that why your hair is black? Are you a demon too?"

Artemis nodded, eyes wide. He hadn't even _remotely_ been thrown off by that. Did he think she was kidding? "But not evil. And neither is he!" She almost choked, but Lenzo hadn't made it out that her father was evil at all. "He gave all that up. He's really a nice guy."

Lenzo nodded. "Yeah? That's pretty noble."

"…You don't believe me, do you?" Artemis wondered aloud. Lenzo blinked and shook his head. "No, I believe you. I mean, now that I see your eyes it makes me think you must be a demon. No offense, I mean. You're eyes are beautiful." He turned a little pink in the nose and quickly rubbed his arm. "Anyway, if you say your parents are the Hero of Time and a Demon then I believe you."

The demon couldn't say she believed that he could say that so quickly, but the feeling that she was being trusted? That made her day.

…

Link braced his feet on the ground and his back on a large statue, pushing with all his might. "_This….won't…budge…_" He grunted. Zelda had instructed him to move the towering man—modeled after himself even—because there was a basement under it. Dark stood up and made like he was about to help when suddenly he let out a menacing scream.

"Daddy!" Chloe gasped, seeing the demon fall to his knees and clutch his hand. Link's eyes popped open in their strain and he dashed over to his lover, kneeling beside him. Zelda also made her way over and rested a hand on Dark's shoulder.

Catching himself screaming, Dark pursed his lips shut, grunting out his pain quietly instead. Link took his hand and watched as a red triangle of blood appeared in a perfect line, like a cat scratch.

"Dark?" Link asked, hurting to see his husband like this. Or were they technically married? What _was_ Dark to him at this point in their lives? A distant enemy? He kissed Dark's white knuckle and waited for this pain to stop.

"I don't understand." Zelda frowned, watching the skin over the Triforce of Power grow more and more agitated. Dark pursed his lips and let out quiet yelp. "Why is the Triforce rejecting him?"

"Because its rightful owner is here." Came the last voice anyone wanted to hear. Link gasped and turned to face Gannondorf, who looked totally unchanged.

Gannon had to admit—seeing Link as a teenager was interesting to him. Had he not aged, or was it some sort of spell? But he knew when he saw Dark Link that something _interesting_ was going on.

Dark's eyes flew open and he gasped when he saw Gannon. Link stood in front of the Demon, and Seth drew his sword.

At the unprofessional clank that came from that, Gannon noticed for the first time Seth and Chloe. Seth moved in front of his sister a little bit and got into a defensive stance. He would have simply looked past them, until he noticed one key element: Seth was standing in the _same_ stance, with his sword in the _same_ hand, with the _same_ blonde hair and the _same_ fierce eyes. He snickered.

"Who is this?" Gannon asked, raising a hand to Seth. Then he looked at Chloe and his smile grew. "Well, it seems you two have been _busy_ since I last saw you."

Zelda frowned her most intimidating frown and held an strong glare at Gannon. The evil king brought Chloe to him with the wave of his hands, and held her, and the smaller girl in her arms, next to him. The Princess thought her heart might break in two.

Link's eyes widened a little, and Seth went to charge at Gannon. Quickly, Link put his hand on Seth's chest to stop him. "Don't move." He muttered.

Gannon looked over the two blonde girls beside him. "Well? Link? Won't you introduce me?"

"Let them go!" Zelda shouted, heart pounding in her chest. This was her _home_.

"Shh!" Link frowned, sheathing his sword and putting his hands up in front of him. "G-Gannon… This is Seth," He began, indicating to his son.

Dark suppressed another painful moan and Link turned back just long enough to see the triangle bulging against the demon's tan hand, trying to escape.

"Daddy!" Chloe gasped, holding Zelly tightly in her arms. Dark only met her eyes sadly.

"And these?" Gannon smiled, knowing that just having a hold on one of Link's children was driving him to insanity.

Zelda made a move to step forward, but Link quickly spurted, "Those are my daughters Chloe and... Z-Zoey."

Zelda stared at Link with wide eyes. Even when his own children were in danger, he was willing to protect the royal family. She couldn't _believe_ what a good friend he was.

Gannon smiled at the girls next to him and momentarily let down the magic around them and advanced towards Seth.

"PAPA!" Chloe shouted, quickly tossing Zelly through the air. Link moved forward to catch the girl, but Zelda did first, pulling her little daughter to her chest.

Gannon growled low and moved his attention to the crumpled Demon.

"You're a demon again." Gannon observed. His narrowed and he instructed "Get up."

Dark, against every ounce of will he had, rose to his feet.

"Give me the Triforce of Power." Gannon ordered.

Dark's eyes glazed over, entirely glowing red, and the golden triangle ripped from his skin in a bloody, clean, cut.

Once it was settled within Gannondorf, the Gerudo smiled. "You were always my favorite creation."

Dark didn't respond.

"Kill that girl. Chloe."

Those red, glazed eyes widened significantly, and tan lips parted.

Seth gasped.

Zelda covered her mouth.

Link pushed Chloe out the door. "RUN!"

….

Chloe never thought at any point in her life she would be running down the corridors of Hyrule Castle to escape her father. She never thought that she would see Link chasing them down the hall, sword in hand, attacking her father. She certainly never thought that she would run into the waiting arms of the one person she had always failed to trust.

"Kale!" She gasped, colliding with him. He smirked and turned her around in his firm grasp, to face Dark Link. Gannon and Zelda rounded the corner of the hall to see the scene.

Link stopped, gasping for air. Dark was certainly not too old to run now. He stood a few paces from Chloe, black sword in hand. Link felt fear welling up in his chest.

"Dark, don't!" But Link knew that there was nothing the demon could do.

Dark on the other hand, was crying his eyes out. He didn't want this. He didn't want it at all.

"Kale, please," Chloe whispered, tears in her eyes. "Please stop him. I know you have magic, you can fix my Daddy."

Kale smirked lightly. "And risk my own father killing me? Why would I do that?"

Link met Kale's eyes with a flash of anger and dashed behind him, sword at his neck.

"Gannondorf!" He shouted, "Dark kills Chloe, I'll kill Kale."

Kale scoffed. "As if that can happen—Gannondorf wouldn't let me die."

"Fine." Gannon shrugged. "He's just a bastard child with no family. Why do I care if he dies?"

Kale stared at him, totally taken aback. "W-what?"

"I was just going to kill you anyway. As if I would really let you rule with me—you're not even a Gerudo."

Dark pulled back his sword slowly.

Kale narrowed his eyes and quickly removed the spell from Dark, casting his eyes back to their normal red. Just as Gannon began to grind his teeth, his "bastard son" took it to a new level.

The Master Sword vanished.

…_.._

_Super short chapter. I'm getting close to the end, thought I'd throw in a little suspense._

_Lenzo: He's the crazy old Pictograph guy in Wind Waker. He lives on Windfall Island. Hysterical. Talk to him sometime. Anyway, if you look at a picture of Outset on his wall, he'll say he met a girl on that island many years ago, and that she's probably pretty old. Seeing as how the only old woman on that island is "grandma" who I renamed Artemis, that would be her._

_Some people think that Lenzo is actually Link's grandfather. I don't know about that, but he's certainly going to have met Missy._

_R&R_


	10. The Great Flood

Link stared at where the sword just was in his hand, and then at himself. He was glowing. He felt a familiar chill wash over him and then closed his eyes. He was turning back to normal. He was turning to his natural age. Not that he was super old or anything, but he could feel his energy going down. This was the first time he had been awake for this. Was he… actually getting shorter? No, it was just Dark beside him, growing taller.

He could see Dark's glowing form in front of him, and mentally screamed as he watched him grow taller. How _stupid_ for Dark to be a whole foot taller than him. He smiled inwardly though, at the way he was shining. You couldn't see his body—only a shimmery gold form and a pair of bright red eyes peeking out of it. In a moment, they turned to blue.

Link wondered if he was just a shiny gold form too. Probably, seeing as how Zelda had the same color going on as Dark did. He reached down and touched his stomach, still flat and firm, and waited. After a few seconds he felt it rise up just a little, into his palm, and a silent sigh of relief washed over him. It was still there—his new baby. It was still alive.

Gannon saw the three glowing forms slowly dissolve into their natural states and frowned. Zelda and Link had not changed much with age, although Gannondorf was sure he wouldn't have recognized the hero in such casual clothing. Dark, however, had changed tremendously, and it was clear that he was not a fighter any more by his skinny arms. He turned his attention to Kale and growled furiously. "What have you done?"

Kale glared at him and crossed his arms. "I've hidden the Master Sword." He smirked. "With a spell that _I learned from Arty_. A spell to put things where they belong."

Sure, Kale had wronged Artemis, but he was done with this. He was in love with her, and every ounce of betrayal that he caused was because he _thought_ his father cared for him. Now that he knew Gannondorf was just using him to play a little game, he would never hurt her again. He smiled inwardly and wondered if she would ever forgive him, ever take him back.

Gannondorf shrugged. He wanted to play it cool, but he was in a minor state of panic. He wondered briefly if he could still finish this fight, but then smiled. "All you have done is strip the Hero of Time of his weapons, fool. Dark," He nodded to the Demon, "Kill that girl, and Kale while you're at it."

Dark snickered and turned to face Gannon. This would be good. How much he had longed to do this sixteen years ago—just completely ignore an order. He stepped up to him, glasses reflecting in the bright lighting, and stood almost nose to nose with the tall man. "No." _Damn_ that felt good.

Gannondorf raised an eyebrow and looked into the eyes of the Demon. He had small, nearly invisible crow's feet. How interesting, that he would be able to wrinkle, as such a powerful person. And then he noticed that Dark's eyes were not red. They were simple and blue, like his children. His own eyes widened a little.

"You're human." Gannon observed. Dark pushed him back lightly.

"Try to make me kill my daughter again. Ask me. I dare you." Dark narrowed his eyes. "Because I'm _not_ a little errand slave, got that?" As if Dark had ever been used for anything else by Gannondorf. It was always _go wait in the temple_ this, or _go find Princess Zelda_ that. He was sick of it, still, after all this time.

Gannon began to roll his eyes. "This doesn't change anything!" He shouted at Kale, "I still have my Triforce, and in a moment I'll have Link and Zelda's as well."

Zelda felt a tingle in her hand. She was having trouble containing the Triforce. It must have been their youth that made it so easy, but her hand was burning and she wanted to leave. She looked around before quickly rounding up everyone—her daughter, Chloe and Seth, Dark and Link, and even Kale—and taking a deep breath…

She quickly cast Farore's Wind on the group and used it to escape Gannondorf for the moment.

….

It only took a few minutes before Link spoke up. He certainly had changed. He used to hide his pain for as long as possible, never speak of it until it was a dire situation—life or death. Now he didn't: he spoke right away and with a purpose. "Zelda, my hand feels like it's going to rip open."

Dark's eyes softened and he glanced over at his lover. His own hand had been hurting horrendously when Gannon tried to overtake the Triforce. Certainly though, if Link or Zelda felt the way he did, they would be in much more agony. He felt like someone was forcing a spear through his hand.

Zelda however, simply nodded. "I agree, however we have to think up a plan. I have had visions of the Hero of Winds, and he will _need_ the Triforce in the future."

"How can you get it to him without Gannon finding out?" Seth grumbled. "If he's not born yet?"

Link raised an eyebrow at Seth and shrugged. He was impressed with how well his children were following along with this crazy story—he was still trying to get it straight himself. That, and he was sure that Aryll was the sole reason that he caught on so quickly… Seth and Chloe never met Aryll. Perhaps they would, someday? Link bit his lip.

The worst part about this whole thing was knowing that not only himself, but his children might die. He wondered if they would be able to function on their own. Chloe and Seth didn't really display brilliance when they took off to find Artemis, and it was unlikely that they would remember everything they needed to know.

"He _is _supposed to be Missy's grandson, right?" Chloe asked, hoping her recall of the prophecy was correct. "You can't expect Gannondorf not to find them, in that time. That's probably fifty years from now."

Kale listened, concerned and confused, to what they were saying. Artemis's grandson would be the one to stop Gannondorf? How ironic. A little blush spread over his face as he considered a new idea: would that also be his own grandson? That would be even _more_ ironic.

Zelda bit her lip before finally casting some sort of magic that made the Triforce dissolve from her flesh and reappear in her hands. Link groaned. "Me too!"

She ignored him though, and simply looked at the golden triangle. "I once studied the minerals of Hyrule, in lessons."

Chloe raised her ears to this. Someone, besides herself, paid attention in lessons?

"Gold," Zelda frowned, "Is perhaps one of the softest, most breakable metals we have. That is why swords are not made of it."

Link felt his eyes widen in realization. "Oh, you can't really think that will work, Princess,"

She looked around before finally returning her icy gaze to the sacred triangle in her hand. "Please, Goddesses, understand that I only do this for the benefit of Hyrule."

Dark was about to ask what she was doing, when he saw the Triforce she held break into pieces. He flapped his lips while she quickly tied one piece around a string and then onto her daughter's neck.

Zelly, who was oblivious to the death and fear floating in the air, smiled. "Pretty!"

"Please," Zelda began, "Never lose this. Never take this off—and someday give it to your daughter."

Kale was sure that little girl didn't understand what was going on. He smiled at her giggling though. Link felt his hand burn once more and frowned. This was annoying. He couldn't ask Zelda to address it again, could he? He already had once, and he certainly didn't beg. Begging was for animals, not heroes.

Zelda, to Link's great relief, made her way over and began to work her magic on his hand. Dark wandered over to Seth and Chloe and pulled them into a large hug.

Seth frowned, and Chloe blinked. What was this for? "Daddy?"

"I'm sorry, for you." Dark whispered. "If we all die, I'm sorry that I never let you stay out late on dates, and that I never took you to see all of Hyrule. I just want you both to know I love you. I swear, if there is any way to protect you, Link and I will."

Seth had to admit, he felt a little relieved to hear that. He was happy to know that his parents cared so much, that they wanted the whole world for him. Chloe, on the other hand, was petrified.

Her father was saying they might die? He was apologizing that they didn't have a lot of opportunity to live life? Did he think they would die? She shivered and pulled out of Dark's embrace.

Chloe was too young to die. She'd never been kissed—at least not romantically. She hardly counted her parent's kisses on her forehead or even lips when she was younger to be _remotely_ like the kiss she would receive from a man she was in love with. What of her contribution to the world? She knew that Seth would contribute his power—that he would die serving Hyrule. If one thought about it, one could say that Seth was already _fulfilling his purpose_. There he was, sword and shield and broken wrist, protecting Princess Zelda.

Artemis surely would use her magic to change the world, and Chloe knew she wouldn't let herself be known as the 'girl who freed Gannon'. But what about Chloe herself?

Chloe had always wanted to raise a family—much larger than her own. She wanted a husband, as many children as she was blessed with, and to share her knowledge with every single one. She wanted to be beautiful, to be remembered for her intelligence and love. How could she do that if she was dead?

Suddenly, she didn't want to save Hyrule. She wanted to be back home, eating soup and drinking warm milk. She wanted to be wrapped up in a blanket, wedged between her Papa, Seth, Artemis, and her Daddy. She wanted to watch the fire burn, to play silly games with dice, and to read the stories of all the great writers of the world. She could hardly believe that just days ago she had wasted a whole evening of her life at a book discussion. She would never get that back, and had she known she was about to die she would have done something else. She would have eaten more sweets, worn more flattering clothes… She reached up and touched her flat hair and frowned again. She would have dressed her hair, or something… just… not sit around looking ordinary.

Link cradled the six pieces of the Triforce of Courage. Sure, he was happy that it wasn't ripping his hand apart, but he was a little scared to see it in pieces. He had no idea what to do with them. Should he throw them around the field? If the flood came it would just wash them around Hyrule, never to be reunited again.

This was scarier than standing in front of Gannondorf without a master sword, even. That thought made him turn to face Kale, who jumped at the sudden glare.

"Where is the Master Sword?"

"Uh, right where you were going to put it." Kale answered, looking down, "In that basement under the statue in Hyrule Castle."

Zelda waited for Dark, Chloe, and Seth to return, then began her new plan. "Alright, we have to start convincing people to find and make boats or rafts. The more people who survive this the better. I will speak to my father and then I will tell the people of the Castle Town to begin building. I insist that you go to Kakariko and try to begin with them there."

Link felt a tug in his brain and met the Princess's eyes. "What about the Gorons? They're much too heavy to stay on a boat and they certainly can't swim."

Zelda lowered her gaze. "The Goddesses will find a way—they probably already have begun planning."

Link was skeptical. The Gorons were the nicest people in Hyrule—very friendly—but they weren't the smartest. He looked at Kakariko, but squinted as he moved his eyes over to Death Mountain.

"What is that?"

Zelda looked behind her at the quickly approaching forms. Two creatures were flying towards them at a remarkable speed, and a whole _fleet_ of them were flying over Death Mountain—to the summit.

Dark watched the pattern, how they were flying, and bit his lip. This could _not_ be good.

And suddenly they landed, if not ungracefully, and took a rushed bow to Princess Zelda. They were tall and thin, with long wings extending from their shoulders, wrapping around their arms. Link suppressed a gasp, and Zelda watched them with wide eyes.

They were Rito. Standing before them were Rito, which could only mean one thing.

"Lord Jabu Jabu has sent us to you, Princess." One of them began. He was only a little younger than Seth, and he looked very similar to Komali had. Link turned over the idea in his head that this could potentially be Komali's father or grandfather. "He says he will try to calm the waters as long as possible, but soon will be unable to stop the drowning of Hyrule."

Zelda nodded. "Thank you for relaying the message. You may now go and seek shelter."

"Princess," Spoke the other Rito who was much taller and, unlike Komali, had inverted eye colors. "He has also asked that you return to King Daphnes."

She nodded, and watched the two fly up to Death Mountain.

"Perhaps we have less time than I thought." Zelda whispered. "Alright—change of plan. I will return to the market with Link and Chloe." She frowned, "That gives me a swordsman and someone who has great knowledge."

Chloe blushed upon being recognized for her intelligence. She had never considered herself that smart before—only dreamed she could be.

"Dark, I will send you and Seth to Kakariko to warn them. Seth can protect you, if need be, and you have knowledge of much magic."

"Yeah." Dark frowned. He didn't like this separating thing. He met Link's gaze and knew the blonde had the same thought. If this flood came while they were apart, they might never see each other again. They could be separated forever.

Not to mention Dark was worried about Link using his sword so much while he was potentially pregnant. Neither of them was sure what the chances were, if there were chances, that the baby was even still alive. It was, however, back in the Hero's body where it belonged.

What would happen if Link was separated from Zelda, forever? Dark almost wanted him to stay with her _more_ when the thought of that. Zelda was a vital part of the baby having process—since she was the one who made it possible to deliver them.

Dark wondered briefly if he would be willing to give Link up forever, and never see this baby. He frowned.

Link quickly wrapped his arms around Dark in a surprising display of affection. "I love you," He whispered, as if it were a secret. "Keep Seth safe." He stood on his toes to give the ex-demon a quick kiss before he went to embrace Seth. Dark watched him move, wondering if this was the last time he would be able to wrap his arms around Link.

"Keep your Daddy safe," Link whispered so Dark couldn't hear, "He's not as strong as he used to be." As if that wasn't obvious from impressive lack of muscles that he had compared to his youth… He hugged the boy tighter and frowned. "I love you Seth."

"I love you too, Papa." Seth muttered. He didn't like this. He didn't want to be away from his family.

Chloe pressed herself into Dark's arms and tried not to cry. "No one is going to die, right Daddy?"

Dark tilted her chin up to look into his eyes. "Princess, you're an adult now. You have to understand that sometimes people don't make it. We're all going to try our best, alright? We need to be brave." He kissed her forehead, and she nodded. She could do that. She could be brave. "Courage runs like blood in this family."

Kale stood in the background. Should he speak up? Should he go somewhere alone? Zelda looked over at him and frowned. "Are you going to betray us, or work with us?"

Kale blushed. What a blunt question. He betrayed Artemis, then he betrayed Gannondorf… He was a flip flopper. "I'll work with you."

"Go find Artemis." Zelda whispered. "She's _vital_ to helping the Hero of Winds, as his grandmother. She _must_ _not die_."

Kale frowned. "Sure, I'll find her."

"Kale," Link frowned and tried to hide the fact that he was scared. "Tell her we love her. All of us. Tell her we'll try to find her, as soon as we can."

Dark smiled.

Link was being brave. It was probably hard for him, because the one thing that _never_ failed when he was pregnant was his ability to be scared to pieces. Over stupid things too—mice, certain smells, his appearance…

The ex-demon wondered if they were all going to die.

….

Zelda sent Dark and Seth to Kakariko, by warping them. That way they would have little time wasted in travel. As father and son set out to warn people about the up and coming flood, they realized just how hard this would be. People didn't really believe in a flood that came from nowhere. There were no oceans in Hyrule, and it was pretty impossible for Lake Hylia to flood so much that it would ruin the lands.

Seth started with the youngest people—people who, like himself, had only begun to live. He told them what was happening and instructed them to start cutting down trees to make ships. The kids just ignored him, treating him like his statements were jokes.

Dark tried the opposite—warning the town elders and hoping they had their own prophecies and visions. It was quite unfair that not _one_ person believed them in a town _full_ of carpenters who had the technology to build a ship or two. Dark looked up at the sky, beginning to Darken, and shook his head. They had done all they could—the people of Kakariko would not believe them. They needed to find a way to make a raft of their own, before the flood hit.

…..

Zelda's father was quite unhappy, it seemed. He knew all about the flood, and was disturbed to see that it was beginning to take effect. He told Zelda what he had seen in his own vision: himself becoming suspended in the chamber with the Master Sword, and guiding the Hero of Winds.

He had crafted a ship himself, a small sailboat with a red lion's head on the front. This boat would not only help the Hero of Winds, he believed, but it would save Zelly and lead her to a safe haven. He had blessed it with the magic of the Royal Family.

While Zelda was discussing that with her father, Link and Chloe were making great use of Link's status to warn people. Link was well respected, as a swordsman and teacher, and so many of his students and peers believed him, and started to work on a boat or two. This would, at least, save a few people. Women and Children—that was what was most important.

Chloe ran into the house, her home, and gathered a lot of stuff. She found blankets, dried meat, water, and even a journal or two from the kitchen. She wanted to have _something_ to keep her and her Papa safe. She also grabbed Link's sword and shield, just in case they needed it, and made to find her Papa.

The sky was turning a dark shade of grey, and Chloe was scared. The only thing she could think about was her father's words. Courage runs like blood. She had to be brave.

….

Kale searched all over the desert, hoping to pinpoint Artemis based on her magic. If he could sense her power, it would be much easier to find her. He couldn't though, and so he had to search more carefully. Warping around all day would establish _nothing._

Artemis was with Lenzo still, he was showing her some pictographs while they traversed towards the Gerudo Fortress. Hopefully they would let them pass through unharmed.

Artemis had to admit, she was warming up to Lenzo. Sure, he had been quite the creep at first, but now he was just being a nice guy. A nice guy with _no_ magic in him whatsoever. That made her feel safe, a little, knowing that he couldn't really betray her.

It wasn't until the skies were nearing a shade of black that Kale finally found them, and he materialized in front of Artemis's face.

"Kale!" She gasped, pulling back her fist and considering punching the red head. He put up his hands and pointed to the sky.

"Arty, listen to me: A great flood is coming and it's going to wipe out creation as we know it. Link and Dark are both in different towns right now, trying to warn people, and they said they love you and they'll find you soon. You have to get on a boat, right now, because the only one who can save Hyrule is your grandson."

Artemis considered laughing. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you _see_ the sky? Doesn't that bother you?"

Lenzo stared between the two of them, wondering if he should even get involved in this conversation. He watched Artemis's face go through a few emotions before landing on anger.

"I can't even believe you. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here because I wanted to help you." Kale muttered, feeling a droplet of rain fall from the sky. He had never been more afraid of rain than he was that moment. "Please, let's go. We'll get you to a boat, we'll save you."

"Kale, can't you see I'm walking with Lenzo now?" Artemis rolled her eyes.

Kale _had_ seen the brunette with his arm laced through Artemis's. He _hadn't_ appreciated it though. He just frowned again. "Please? If you want to be with him, that's fine. Just come with me."

"Last time you said that you hypnotized me and used up all my magic. I'm totally useless now!"

"I'll take you to Link!" He choked, hoping that once and for all she would just say it was okay. Not that he really needed her permission. With another droplet on his arm, he reached out for Lenzo and Artemis's hands and warped them to Hyrule Castle town.

…

Where it had been sprinkling in the desert, rain was pouring down in the castle town. People were coming to terms with the idea of a flood and everyone was working together to build rafts and ships. It only took a moment for Kale to locate the Princess, gently resting her daughter in a red ship and settling in beside her. She cast a blue spell, Nayru's Love, around the ship and frowned.

She had done what she came to do. She scattered the Triforce pieces, and she prepared for the Hero of Winds. Now she only had to protect her daughter.

Link and Chloe stood next to a small row boat, waving at Kale. Artemis gasped when she saw her Papa and ran into his arms.

"Missy…" Link smiled. "Please, Missy, get in this boat, so I can cast Nayru's love over it." He looked up at Kale and a confused Lenzo, and pointed. "All of you, get in. It's big enough for the four of you."

Link didn't care what happened to himself at this point. He didn't care if he died, or if he lived. All he cared about was his children, _everyone's children_ getting in a boat protected by magic.

Artemis was surprised when Link handed his shield to her. "Keep this, alright? This is our family crest." He kissed her forehead. "Missy, please… just stay safe."

"Papa, I…"

Link pushed her towards the boat and set her down next to Chloe. After a moment or two of being waved over, Link insisted that Kale and Lenzo step in as well. Once he chanted the spell for Nayru's Love, he looked in through the blue magic. "Kale, I need you to warp me to Kakariko."

"What for, Papa?" Chloe asked, hugging Link's sheathed sword to her chest.

"I'm going to find Dark and Seth. Listen to me girls, when you have the chance to go somewhere, when the flood ends, row towards Death Mountain, okay? We'll try and be there with you, then we'll find a new home, together." He looked at Kale. "Now, please, warp me."

Kale nodded and Link disappeared, leaving behind a soaking wet town of makeshift boats and blue diamonds surrounding them.

…..

The last thing Seth expected to hear was the voice of his Papa, running through the frantic tow. Kakariko was even _worse_ than the Castle Town, rain wise. Without a light it was almost impossible to see through the storm, but he could tell that people were building and protecting boats. The message had traveled fast, from Zelda.

_Tell the world to use Nayru's Love to protect them. She will save who she can._

It must have been the wise Owl who traveled so quickly. Link plowed into Seth and hugged him tightly. "Where's your Dad?" He asked in a loud voice, over the storm.

"He's over by our boat, but neither of us have any magic to cast the spell!"

Link took Seth's hand and followed him to Dark.

Dark's heart melted at the sight of Link. He embraced him tightly and pushed his soaking bangs from his face to kiss him.

Link was about to say something when out of what seemed like no where a giant pillar of lightning struck. The town cracked with thunder, and a large tidal wave formed from the direction of Zora Domain. Both men went wide eyed and Link tackled Seth into the boat.

"Get in, get in, get in!" Dark gasped, pushing Seth into the wooden cradle.

"Dad! Papa!" Seth gasped, seeing Link run back towards Dark to drag him to the ship. It was futile though, because the wave of water was already crashing into the buildings of Kakariko.

Dark met eyes with Link only momentarily before he stopped moving, looking sadly at Seth. This wasn't what he wanted to happen. They ran for the ship to jump in it, but it was obvious that they wouldn't make it. They could already feel water at their heels.

Link parted his lips as the wave drew closer. "_Goddess of wisdom and Law, hear my pleas. Use your love to protect me."_ Link recited the words for what seemed like the hundredth time that day and a blue crystal surrounded Seth and the small boat.

Dark hugged Link tightly, and he began the spell again. _"Goddess of wisdom and law—!"_

For Link and Dark… everything went Black.

….

_Epilogue to follow! :D How's that for a cliffy? Want to know what happens? I'll tell you—next chapter. XD _

_I'm happy with this one, I think at the end I kind of got the frantic climactic moment I was looking for. See you in the next and final chapter. _

_R&R_


	11. The End

Link opened his eyes slowly, feeling warm and dry, and reached out for Dark. The taller man was cradling Link's head in his lap, and staring at a bright _something_.

When Link sat up, it only took him a brief moment to see that they were staring at three golden women, each shimmering brightly and dressed only in ancient robes. They each had a different hair color and style, one red, one green, one blue. Link realized he was staring at the goddesses he had spent his life serving.

"You three are of vital importance." They chirped together, and at the word three he looked over to see that somehow Princess Zelda was with them, tears in her eyes. What had become of Zelly? The goddesses continued in their chant-like speech. "However, at the moment we cannot use you. We have spared you from this flood only to tell you this."

Link wasn't sure he understood what was going on. Were they alive or dead?

"Your spirits are those which we need, to stop the evil king Gannondorf. For the time being he is sealed in a fortress—isolated on an island alone. In order to defeat him we need your spirits to be reborn."

Dark saw Zelda wipe her eyes and nod. Be reborn. How did that work?

"You will probably not remember who you are now. You will only be given one memory of your past life to remember."

Dark frowned.

"You will be the key ingredients to saving Hyrule."

…..

EPILOGUE:

SETH_:_

Seth passed out during the flood, but when he awoke he was drifting in a large ocean alone. His first reaction was try cry, but he knew better than that. He looked around but the only thing he saw in the distance was a small island, what must have been the top of Death Mountain. He rowed his way there after only a few hours.

When he arrived he was greeted by the Rito, which confirmed his suspicions of the mountain. They took him in and cared for him for a few months, until it was clear where the people of Hyrule were planning to settle. They watched over him and even flew out to sea, searching for ships approaching.

Seth always told them the story of his family, that they should be coming to find him. They never did, however, and so when it was safe to leave the sanctuary Seth was led to a new island by a Rito Postman—the only job the Rito found themselves to be exceptional at.

For almost a year Seth lived by himself, fourteen years old, on this new settlement which the world was beginning to call Windfall. It was warm and safe, but he knew he would never be happy unless he found his family.

Eventually he bought a kaleidoscope and took to traveling the Great Sea, searching for his lost family. In his travels he met many people and went many places. He could usually be seen standing atop a high place, peering through his telescope. Because of the nature of his travels he visited people he knew very spontaneously, and always brought gifts. Children would call him Mr. Ho-ho, because of his behavior that was so similar to the story of Santa Clause.

He lived his life searching, hoping to find a hint of Artemis or Chloe. Eventually everyone forgot his name, and over the years the childish nickname stuck. He grew old in his search but never retired from it. In his old age he was called "Old Man Ho-Ho", and mostly remembered to be ever searching for something, and always looking into his telescope.

KALE_: _

Kale and the group of people on the boat with him (Lenzo, Chloe, and Artemis) never were rendered unconscious during the flood. When Nayru's Love broke, the shock of it caused Chloe to gasp and tip overboard. The waves were still rough, and the boat was very quickly separated from the stuttering, drowning girl. Being the only one who could teleport, Kale warped to her. By the time he got her back above water though the boat with Artemis and Lenzo was out of sight.

Kale had no idea which direction to go in, but eventually in his frantic search for someplace to go he noticed a speck of land in the distance. He used his energy to warp there.

It turned out to be Windfall. He and Chloe helped settle the town and after three months took off in search of Death Mountain—hoping to be reunited with Seth, Artemis, Dark, Link, and Lenzo there. Eventually they arrived at the land of the Rito, but were told the only Hylian who had lived there, Seth, left in search of his family. In a game of Cat and Mouse, Kale and Chloe searched for Seth or Artemis for a year before returning to Windfall Island.

In that year, Chloe and Kale fell in love. Kale would probably always love Artemis to an extent, but his love for her sister was much greater, and he knew he would never betray Chloe. After a few years together, Chloe and Kale were married. She was nineteen and he was twenty two. They lived together in a small house centered in the settlement of Windfall and began their family together.

CHLOE:

Chloe became pregnant with her first child shortly before her husband fell ill with a mysterious fever. She cared for him daily, much to his protesting, but eventually the life faded from his eyes. The sorrow and grief she felt from his death caused her to feel nauseas all the time, and she was unable to eat. Eventually she became very ill herself and miscarried in her fourth month of pregnancy.

Chloe never fell in love again after that and closed herself off emotionally. She kept Kale's belongings in a closet in the back of their home, and after a few years turned the front into a large open area. She was determined to turn her life around, at the age of twenty five.

She filled the front of her home with desks and a large black chalk board and began to tutor students. She eventually became known as a teacher, and her front room became the "School of Joy". She was always remembered for her intelligence and her compassion towards children.

Students loved her, and she eventually had to go on to teach students of all ages because they never wanted to leave her classroom.

She never remarried and never had any children of her own, but she loved every student that entered her schoolhouse as if it was that baby she lost. She cared for them and cooked lunches for them and taught them how to use their brains to the fullest.

Eventually when she was forty she took on an apprentice, one of the first students she ever had, named Marie. She taught her everything she knew, and even told her the story of her life. Marie wasn't sure she believed all of it, but she treasured every word of Chloe's stories.

When Chloe passed away, Marie took over her schoolhouse, as Chloe wanted. She continued teaching, cooking, and telling stories, just as her teacher had.

LENZO:

Lenzo and Artemis were swept away by the tides until they hit land on a small island. There were only a few other people there, but they all came together to build shelters, which eventually became houses.

There were two other boys the same age as Lenzo. Their names were Orca and Sturgeon, a knight in training and a scholar respectively. They were often around Artemis, which made Lenzo all the more protective of her. The island had a large mountain on it that seemed to have been leveled off. The two of them could only assume that was Death Mountain, and so waited for the rest of her family to join them.

When Artemis was eighteen Lenzo and she began to have a romantic relationship. When She was twenty they got into a massive argument and he left.

Lenzo traveled to Windfall, moving into a house where he could study Pictography as he always had in the past. He traveled the Great Sea taking pictures of the various sights, before he settled in his home when he was older. He was injured in one of his travels and unable to complete his compilation of pictures.

Eventually a boy dressed in Hero's Clothing came to him and became his "research assistant". He helped him complete his collection of pictures. Lenzo never knew what about that boy made him so curious, but he always felt comfortable enough to share his stories with him.

ARTEMIS:

Shorty after her fight with Lenzo Artemis discovered she was pregnant. She waited and hoped for the pictographer to return, but he never did. Knowing that she might never find her family if she left Outset Island, she stayed there and didn't seek Lenzo out.

Pregnant and unmarried, Artemis knew she was now marked and probably would not find love or a husband. She was embraced by her friends Orca and Sturgeon though, and they cared for her during her pregnancy. Eventually more people settled on Outset Island, but only a few families. Although the relationship and pregnancy status Artemis had was a little… upsetting to a few of them, the people never insulted her.

The island was small enough that everyone felt like one big family. Once Artemis's daughter, named after her sister Chloe, was born the whole island helped care for her.

Artemis was left only with the belongings that were in the boat. She had a few journals that Chloe had taken from the house, one with a mysterious soup recipe in it, and the sword and shield that had belonged to Link. She hung the slightly worn shield on the wall in her home, as well as the sword. The soup, called elixir soup, became popular among the townsfolk, although it seemed when other people made it the broth just turned black and sloppy.

When Artemis's daughter grew to be of marrying age, the island had developed many traditions and strengths. Women were to learn how to carry water from the well to their homes quickly and efficiently, as the sea water was not fit to drink. When boys turned to the age of ten they were to wear clothing that mimicked the Hero of Time when he began his journey.

Artemis's daughter married a sailor named Clyde. She took Link's sword and ventured out on many adventures with him, leaving her mother to worry for their safety. After three years of marriage she announced she was pregnant. She stayed home with Artemis until the baby was born and after much persuasion from her mother named him Link. She left again once she was fit to travel, leaving Link with his grandmother. Three years later her daughter returned, round with child and feverish, and explained that they were attacked by cruel pirates that stole away their possessions and killed Clyde. With no food or money to purchase it, she fell ill.

Artemis tried to heal her daughter but she never fully recovered. She lived only long enough to see her daughter, Aryll, turn a year old before she died of her fever. Before she died she gave Aryll the seagull necklace that had once belonged to Artemis.

Artemis, stunned by the loss of her daughter, raised Link and Aryll like they were her own children. She cared for them their whole lives.

Artemis never told Lenzo of his children, because he never returned. She also never found her family after the great flood, and after many years realized she must _not_ have been on Death Mountain. Aryll once caught sight of a new face on the island, an old man who went by "Ho-Ho". He said he was in search of his lost family, and Artemis was stunned to see him.

In a glorious reunion Seth and Artemis celebrated in private and swapped horror stories of the Great Flood. Eventually Seth left, as he always did, in search of the rest of the family. He never returned to Outset island, but he did give Aryll a red telescope as a gift before he left.

The day that Link turned ten, she gave him an outfit made to look like the Hero of Time's. Her fathers, though she would keep that secret with her forever. Many people were furious that the hero couldn't save them. She was stunned, looking at her grandson, and just how similar to the real Link he looked.

ZELLY:

Zelly washed up on Windfall island all by herself and was taken in by a woman and her husband. That man and woman were pirates, of a kind variety, and raised her to embrace both land and sea. She had a daughter when she was only fifteen by one of the crew members. Eventually her daughter grew up and went on to have a daughter as well, which she affectionately named Tetra.

LINK, DARK, AND ZELDA:

Link, Dark, and Zelda were each reborn in different ways. Zelda's spirit was distributed through each of the women in her bloodline, enough that when and if the time came they could be prepared for whatever regal duties they had. She wasn't given a new life, however, like Link and Dark were, and she often found herself sharing her body and personality with someone totally different than her. She was usually considered to be a conscience in the back of the potential princess's minds.

Link's spirit was reborn in Artemis's grandson, Link. While he lived his life oblivious that not only was he the Hero of Winds, but also the Hero of Time, he always felt like something was different about himself. He was brave and known to be a hero.

He spent most of his life with Tetra, searching for new lands and adjusting to the way she had a split personality. On some days when matters of New Hyrule arose she would be regal and mature, the Princess in her shining through. Most days though she was a self centered, devious, often rude pirate like she was born to be.

During his time in Hyrule Castle, Link found he had some strange suppressed memories. He could see that he must have been someone else in his past life, he never knew the extent of it. He did, however, feel the tug of romance when he thought about those memories, and wondered who exactly it was. The only firm memory he had of it was a soft voice whispering something to him.

It wasn't until he had known Tetra for almost a decade, and they had become adults, when he realized it had something to do with her. He had silently fallen in love with her over all that time. Shortly after they were engaged to be married, she leaned into his ear and whispered to him.

"_I just wanted you to know I'm going to spend my forever with you, Link."_

That was the giveaway. It didn't matter that She insulted him shortly after, or that she was technically Princess Zelda. Link knew at that moment that whoever she was, she was the one he had been with in the past too.

…And something about that made him feel really, _really_ dominant.

…..

THE END

…..

_SETH: In Wind Waker, one of the most mysterious characters in the game is called "Old Man Ho-Ho". He usually has his telescope out and is looking into the distance, and for your benefit there is usually a treasure somewhere near where he is looking. In Phantom Hourglass or Spirit tracks, one or the other, they make a reference to him and it implies that he's from a "ho-ho" tribe, but I bailed on that because it's only a theory. :D_

_KALE: Wouldn't it suck? They were just a few days behind Seth every time he traveled. _

_CHLOE: Has a pretty decent ending. Sure, it was sad with Kale dying and all, but she got what she wanted in the other chapter: To be known for her brains and to have as many children as she could be blessed with. Even if she wasn't their mother, she loved her students. In Wind Waker, Mrs. Marie is the teacher at the School of Joy._

_LENZO: Unfortunately is alone and unmarried in Wind Waker, just as Artemis is. He does have a lovely picture of Outset Island on his wall, and if you view it he mentions the story of a beautiful woman he met there once. It is implied that this was Link's Grandmother, and to some extent many people believe Lenzo is his grandfather, unbeknownst to the two of them._

_ARTEMIS: Is the biggest epilogue because I gotta get in a few generations here. Link and Aryll's parents are pretty unaddressed in the Wind Waker, so I picked my own story for them. Aryll has a red telescope in the game, which is really a mystery as to how it was acquired. I just said Seth gave it to her._

_ZELLY: Was all by her lonesome on the boat, because the Golden Goddesses took Zelda away._

_LINK, DARK, AND ZELDA: We already know that a piece of Princess Zelda's wisdom is in every incarnation of the Princess. We probably guessed that Link would be reborn as the Hero of Winds. Did you even _fathom_ that Dark would be incarnated as Zelda's alter ego, Tetra? I bet you DIDN'T. I'm sorry, but that last sentence of the story was for my benefit. It cracks me up that, after all this time, Link is _finally_ the man of the relationship._

_I HOPE YOULIKED IT!_

…_Forever Kissing_


End file.
